The Enslaved Workers of the Production Systems in the Lime and Pottery Haciendas in Cartagena de Indias (Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries)

Abstract

The colonial haciendas of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries provide fertile ground for studying the African and Afro-descendant communities in the rural areas. In Cartagena de Indias, sites sustained by the work of these communities, such as the Tejar de San Bernabé, dedicated to ceramic production, and the Hacienda La Estancia, which produced lime and timber, were fundamental to the city’s economic development. Through a comparative analysis of historical, archaeological, and oral sources, this article is intended as an initial exploration of the living conditions, labor organization, and technical capacities of the enslaved people who worked on estates such as the Tejar de San Bernabé, the Tejar de Alcibia, the Tejar de Preceptor, and the Hacienda La Estancia. The results reveal a high level of specialization in trades such as ceramic manufacturing, lime burning, and transportation, as well as demographic and social transformations over time.