Yanga, Veracruz
Yanga | |
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Yanga Municipality is a
History
Gaspar Yanga was an Punu chief in present-day Gabon in Central Africa before being sold into slavery and sent to Mexico. As early as Yangah reportedly arrived in Mexico - before 1570 - it is very likely that he shipped by way of the Elmina Castle, the first ever European slave-trading post established on the west coast of Africa (1482). After leading an escape by a band of slaves in 1570, Yanga and his group settled in the highlands. They fought off Spanish forces in 1609, with further bloody skirmishes over nearly a decade.
In 1618 he finally negotiated with Spanish officials to grant freedom to the fugitive slaves and independence to their village, a few kilometers from the city of
The black inhabitants of San Lorenzo proclaimed their loyalty to the Catholic Church and the King of Spain, but refused to pay tribute to the Spanish government.
Geography
The municipality of Yanga is bordered to the east by Cuitláhuac, to the north-east by Atoyac and to the south-east by Omealca.[2]
The climate in Yanga is warm and humid, with an average temperature of 18 °C and rains mainly in the summer and fall.
Agriculture
It produces principally
.Celebrations
Every February, a festival is held to celebrate Virgen de Candelaria, the patron of the town. Every December is a festival in honour of the
Annually, in mid-August, a carnival is held to celebrate Gaspar Yanga, the former slave and leader who held off the Spanish in their attack of 1609 on his maroon settlement in the highlands. Several years later, in 1618 he gained the founding of a free village and freedom for his band of maroons - recorded as the first free, Black autonomous region in the Americas.[1] The 400th anniversary carnival was held in August 2009, four centuries after the Spanish had attacked the settlement.
Twinning
Yanga has expressed interest in being
References
- ^ a b Charles Henry Rowell, “El Primer Libertador de las Americas: Editor's Notes”, Callaloo 31:1 (Winter 2008)
- ^ "Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México: Yanga" (in Spanish). Gobierno Estatal. Archived from the original on March 25, 2007. Retrieved 2009-06-18.
- ^ "Llegan funcionarios de Irlanda a Yanga" [Irish officials arrive to Yanga] (in Spanish).
External links
- (in Spanish) Municipal Official webpage
- (in Spanish) Municipal Official Information
- [1]