1527–1842: The slave trade to Puerto Rico spanned over three centuries, with early arrivals managed by Spanish and Portuguese traders and later voyages domin…

1527–1842: The slave trade to Puerto Rico spanned over three centuries, with early arrivals managed by Spanish and Portuguese traders and later voyages dominated by French and British merchants. West Central Africa was the consistent primary source of labor, though significant numbers also arrived from Upper Guinea and the Bight of Biafra. Captives often reached the island by way of other Caribbean re-export centers like Saint Thomas and Havana. The relatively smaller scale of the Puerto Rican trade compared to Cuba or Saint-Domingue resulted in a different social and racial dynamic on the island.