Matanzas Cuba Government Records on Slavery

The research for documents on our African ancestors is one of the biggest challenges that we face. Fortunately, many of us who descend from those enslaved in the Caribbean have found an option in discovering more about who these ancestors are.

Up until recently, it was difficult to locate records on our African ancestors out of Cuba. However, that is quickly changing due to funded projects that are pursuing to preserving records that are in danger of disappearing.  One such effort is the digitizing of African diaspora located in Matanzas, Cuba. This is a great effort that will help many in researching their ancestors.

Matanzas was known as a major producer of sugar in the 1800s and that meant a high volume of slavery.  This region of the island was known for the high volume of those enslaved going back to the 1500s.

This is a huge collection so I’ll have to do it in segments.  So the first records I came across were from the Provincial Government in Matanzas.  The links lead directly to records.

• 1869 Slave Death Record
• 1856 – 1875 Slave Death Records
• 1836 – 1879 Slave Death Records
• 1867 – 1889 Slave Death Records
• 1867 – 1876 Slave Death Records
• 1857 – 1882 Slave Death Records
• 1844 – 1848 Slave Revolt Records
• 1851 – 1889 Slave Revolt Records

These are random records on the enslaved Africans and their descendants.

• 1779 – 1879 General Records on Slaves
• 1870 – 1884 General Records on Slaves
• 1820 – 1881 Slave Service

The following records are for Cimarron which are those that were enslaved and escaped and lived in the mountains.  Many of us celebrate the people that escaped enslavement. There is even a statue of one such famous man in the Dominican Republic. However, since these are Cuban records, the same concept applies throughout the Caribbean.

• 1844 – 1850 Cimarrones
• 1844 – 1850 Cimarrones (Not a duplicate)
• 1860 – 1869 Cimarrones
• 1870 – 1877 Cimarrones
• 1879 – 1887 Cimarrones
• 1836 – 1880 Cimarrones