Although there were African slaves from the earliest times, the number of slaves brought to Spanish America during the sixteenth century was relatively low: about 50,000, mostly brought by the Portuguese through the seating system with the crown. In fact, the major introduction coincided with the union of crowns from 1580, just as their demand was intensified by the reduction of the indigenous population.
Between 1595 and 1640 the annual average reached 2,880 people, giving a total of 132,600. Mexico and Peru channeled a good part of this demand through these dates. But such limitations favored smuggling, even in Buenos Aires. Where they managed to cross the Andes, evading government control. With the independence of Portugal, legal shipments came to a standstill. That trade was banned. In this way, illegal trafficking was potentiated through the newly established Dutch, English and French colonies in the Caribbean.
