Record: the document says itPattern: documents line upLens: our readingOpen: not yet proven
Year: 1530 · Places: Caribbean, Europe, Africa
SUMMARYGovernor Lando's 1530 count: 1,537 Indians, 2,264 Africans (Borikén, 1530) [Connections: Latin America & Caribbean, Nov 5, 2026]
RECORDThe census attributed to Governor Francisco Manuel de Lando (as transcribed by topuertorico.org) lists 426 Spaniards (369 men, 57 women), 1,537 Indians (497 free, 1,040 enslaved), and 2,264 enslaved Africans, total 4,227
PATTERNLess than 40 years after contact, the colonial count already shows Taíno people enslaved alongside Africans, and Africans outnumbering Taíno on paper. Like all encomienda-era counts, it counted only people under Spanish control (see Guitar card)
LENS (WW9)The first count is already a count of who is owned, not who lives on the land
OPENRead the original in the Archivo General de Indias or a published edition (e.g., Tanodi's transcription); the secondary page has inconsistencies