Accumulation on the Haciendas

Though the journey from the hacienda to Lima and eventually to freedom could be long and dangerous, it was often possible. The roads to emancipation were many and limited only by the ingenuity of the slaves themselves. Testamentary bequests, family relations, and complex strategies of accumulation all helped pave the way to freedom, which stretched forth even in the difficult context of the rural hacienda environment. In the following pages we will retrace the vicissitudes and the paths slaves devised as they accumulated money and decided which family member would be the first to leave and how the links with those still remaining on the hacienda would be maintained until their freedom was obtained. A whole array of mechanisms existed,

mechanisms subtler than dramatic marches to Lima demanding an audience with a hacienda owner. Our portrayal of negotiations within the hacienda will help reveal the dynamics and perceptions of slave families as well as give us insight into the relations between the free and slave populations. In this context, we will again be reminded of the lives of Manuel, Manuela, Manuelita, Manolo, and Manolito.