Peça facts for kids
A Peça (pronounced "peh-sah") or Pieza de India (pronounced "pee-eh-sah deh een-dee-ah") was a special way of counting people during the slave trade from the 1500s to the 1700s. It was used when enslaved people were brought from West Africa to the Spanish colonies in the Americas.
Instead of just counting each person as "one," a Pieza de India was a unit that measured the "value" of an enslaved person. For example, one healthy male or female between 15 and 25 years old was usually counted as one "pieza." Younger or older people, or those who were sick, were counted as less than one "pieza." This system was used to figure out how many enslaved people could be brought in and how much tax had to be paid on them.
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Why the Pieza de India Was Used
In 1479, Spain and Portugal signed the Treaty of Alcáçovas. This agreement divided the Atlantic Ocean and other parts of the world into two areas of control. Spain got the western side, which included South America and the West Indies. Portugal got the eastern side, including the west coast of Africa.
Spain needed many enslaved people from Africa to work in their American colonies. But since Portugal controlled the African coast, Spain had to rely on Portuguese traders. So, the Spanish king created a special contract called the Asiento de Negros. This contract allowed a certain number of enslaved people to be supplied each year. Instead of a simple head count, the contract used the "piezas de India" unit to measure the supply and taxes.
How a Pieza Was Measured
The exact way to measure a "Pieza de India" could be a bit different depending on the source, but here's a common way it was done:
- One person aged 16 to 35 was counted as 1 Pieza de India.
- Two people aged 12 to 16 were counted as 1 Pieza de India.
- Three people aged 6 to 12 were counted as 2 Piezas de India.
Another way to think about it was based on height. Some sources say one Pieza de India meant a "prime male slave" who was healthy, between 14 and 30 years old, and about 4 feet 8 inches tall. So, it was a way to measure the "quality" or "value" of a group of enslaved people, not just how many there were.
Britain Takes Over the Asiento
In 1713, after a war, Britain gained the Asiento contract. This meant Britain had the exclusive right to supply enslaved people to the Spanish colonies for 30 years. The British government gave this profitable right to a company called the South Sea Company.
The contract said that Britain could bring 4,800 "piezas de Indias" into the Spanish colonies each year. The Spanish also charged an import tax of 33 1/3 pesos for each of the first 4,000 "piezas." The last 800 "piezas" were tax-free.
The Measurement Process
When ships carrying enslaved people arrived at Spanish ports, Spanish officials would inspect them. This was called a visita de sanidad (health visit). The officials would also measure the enslaved people to figure out their "pieza de India" value. This was important for calculating taxes and making sure the number of "piezas" stayed within the yearly limit set by the Asiento.
Enslaved people were not measured one by one. Instead, they were measured in groups using a special tape measure. This tape was divided into units that helped determine how many "piezas" a group was worth. Officials would also make "deductions" for things like physical problems, or for women, children, and older people, meaning they would be valued as less than one "pieza."
The British company managers were told to try and get the lowest "pieza" assessment possible. This would mean paying less tax and being able to bring in more enslaved people under the yearly limit.
Dealing with Illegal Slaves
The "pieza de India" unit was also used for enslaved people who were brought in illegally. If these people were found in Spanish territory, the British authorities (who held the Asiento) could seize them. They would then be resold for the company's profit.
However, the original owner would get some money back (110 pesos per "pieza"), and a tax of 33 1/3 pesos per "pieza" would go to the Spanish king. This "right to indult" (meaning "pardon" or "forgiveness" for the illegal act) meant that even illegally imported enslaved people had to be measured and valued in "piezas de India."
How Historians Use the Ratio
Historians and researchers use the ratio of "piezas de Indias" to the actual number of people to learn about the slave trade. A higher ratio might mean there were more healthy, prime male slaves in a group. Since exact headcounts are often not available from this time, this ratio helps historians estimate the ages and genders of enslaved people brought into different areas. On average, during the time Britain held the Asiento, one enslaved person was assessed as about 0.79 of a "pieza de India."
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