1791: Census data for the Spanish Caribbean highlighted the prominent demographic niche occupied by free people of color in urban areas.

1791: Census data for the Spanish Caribbean highlighted the prominent demographic niche occupied by free people of color in urban areas. In Havana and its suburbs, free coloreds comprised twenty-two percent of the population, while in Santiago de Cuba they accounted for thirty-four percent of the 19,703 residents. This pattern was even more pronounced in Bayamo, where free nonwhites made up over thirty-seven percent of the population. These urban communities formed the core of the “masterless Caribbean” and were increasingly feared for their potential to disrupt the plantation economy.