1520–1810: For nearly three centuries, the Spanish Caribbean mainland relied heavily on West Central Africa for its supply of enslaved labor.

1520–1810: For nearly three centuries, the Spanish Caribbean mainland relied heavily on West Central Africa for its supply of enslaved labor. Early in the trade, Portuguese and Spanish vessels managed the traffic, but they were eventually joined by British and Dutch merchants as the regional economy expanded. Captives were landed at major ports like Cartagena and Portobello, from where they were often transshipped to the interior mining and agricultural districts. This long-standing commercial link made West Central Africans the dominant demographic group in the early colonial history of the Spanish mainland.