Sebastián, a black

Although slaves from North and West Africa were common on the Coronado Expedition, information about them is extremely scarce. As historical researchers energetically looking for such data, the Flints were pleasantly surprised to come across even passing references to slaves in the documentary record related to the expedition. One such case involved two slaves belonging to Juan Jaramillo. When, in the spring of 1542, the Franciscan friars Juan de Padilla and Luis de Úbeda insisted on remaining in Tierra Nueva when the rest of the expedition abandoned the enterprise and returned south, the two friars asked to be provided companions and assistants in their missionary labor. In response, Jaramillo gave them at least one and perhaps two black slaves, one named Sebastián and the other Cristóbal. Nothing further is known about either of them. At the same time, expeditionary Melchior Pérez provided to the friars a unnamed black slave with his wife and children. Again, nothing further is known about this slave family.