16th Century

Francisco Pizaro massacres the Incas at Caxamalca (modern Caxamarca) and captures King Atahuallpa, an event that marks the Spanish conquest of Peru.

Juan de la Barrera, a Seville merchant, begins transporting slaves directly from Africa to the New World (before this, slaves had normally passed through Europe first). His lead is quickly followed by other slave traders.

Esteban (or Estevanico) becomes the first African slave to step foot on what is now the United States of America.

Earliest records of sugar production in Jamaica, later a major sugar producing region of the British Empire. Sugar production is rapidly expanding throughout the Caribbean region at this time – with the mills almost exclusively worked by African slaves.

300 African slaves taken to Cuba to work in the gold mines.

A major slave rebellion breaks out on the island of Hispaniola.

Hernan Cortés captures King Cuahutemotzin, Aztec empire is overthrown and Mexico comes under Spanish Rule.

The circumnavigation expedition of Ferdinand Magellan sets out from San Lucar de Barameda.

The circumnavigation expedition of Ferdinand Magellan sets out from San Lucar de Barameda.

Charles V grants his Flemish courtier Lorenzo de Gorrevod permission to import 4000 African slaves into New Spain. From this point onwards thousands of slaves are sent to the New World each year.

Sir Thomas More in his book Utopia argues that his ideal society would have slaves, but they would not be ‘non-combatant prisoners-of-war, slaves by birth, or purchases from foreign slave markets.’