| Africans have had a presence in Texas for almost 500 years, maybe longer. The territory was the northernmost area of New Spain (Mexico) in 1528 when Esteban (a.k.a. Estevanico), a Moroccan Moor servant, waded ashore with a group of Spanish conquistadors near what is now Galveston Island and established himself as the first known black African in what would become Texas. Since, African Americans have contributed significantly in all facets of the building of the state -- its infrastructure, its image, its culture. From Esteban to Beyonce, the Texas Black History Preservation Project is charting every aspect of the black experience in Texas. This is the first version of our evolution into an online encyclopedia for all things black history in Texas. To start, we are presenting a special package, “Coming to Texas, 1528-1836,” focusing on the origins and circumstances of how blacks came to this part of the world. Esteemed historian Maceo C. Dailey, of the University of Texas at El Paso, formally introduces our project. Chart our progress and watch us grow. |
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| Texas Black History Preservation Project Documenting the Complete African American Experience in Texas www.tbhpp.org |

| "Coming to Texas, 1528-1836" Approximately 54% of all enslaved Africans brought to the New World between 1519 and 1700 disembarked in Spanish America, and New Spain (Mexico) received its share through the ports of Veracruz where Africans were first brought and taken for work in the country's gold and silver mines, as servants, field workers and other labors. So numerous were Africans in New Spain that by 1570 the 20,569 Africans were three times the Spanish population. The Africans spread out through New Spain, including heading north and across the Rio Grande inter-marrying with indigenous people, running away from slavery (marronage) and starting their own communities. Some settled and became the first black Texans. This package examines:
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