Some of the earliest people forced into slavery in Latin America in the 16th century have been revealed, shedding light on their tragic lives.
Three skeletons from a mass grave on the grounds of Hospital Real de San José de los Naturales, an early colonial hospital in Mexico City, were studied by scientists.
Analysis of their remains, including their teeth, reveals they were abducted from their homes in sub-Saharan Africa, trafficked across the Atlantic and subjected to horrific physical abuse.
One person led a physically demanding life of physical labour, another was shot with a copper bullet and the other had evidence of repeated broken bones.
All survived these injuries but suffered premature deaths, likely induced by years of extreme hardship at the hands of the Spanish conquistadors.
One of the individuals also suffered with hepatitis B while another was afflicted with a syphilis-like infection called yaws, which affects a person’s bones.
Three skeletons (pictured, the skulls and teeth of these remains) found in a mass grave on the grounds of Hospital Real de San José de los Naturales were studied by scientists
Pictured, the skull of one of the individuals studied, in which the dental modifications which helped identify the person of African origin are apparent. Tubes used for isotope and genetic tests, both of which were carried out as part of our study, are also seen
In the 1500s, Charles I of Spain authorised the infamous transport of the first African slaves to the Viceroyalty of New Spain.
His decree signalled enslavement, misery and death for an untold amount of people.
People were stripped of their identity, culture and individuality when subjugated by the colonists and little is known about who the first slaves were and how they became victims of one of humanity’s most heinous periods.
Now, researchers from the Max Plank Institute for the Science of Human History sought to shed light on these poor people.
Analysing the bones and DNA samples, scientists were able to determine from where in Africa they were likely captured, the physical hardships they experienced as slaves, and what pathogens they may have carried with them across the Atlantic.
The three individuals in the study first caught the attention of the team due to their distinct dental modifications.
All possessed a filling in the upper front teeth consistent with traditional African culture. It is still seen in some groups living in western Africa today.
Genetic analysis showed all three individuals shared a Y-chromosome lineage that is highly prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is also the most common variety found in modern-day African-Americans.
This information was then combined with isotope data from the teeth which confirmed all three were definitively born outside of Mexico.
Analysis of their bones revealed a clear picture of physical hardship and premature death.
The authors of the research say their findings prove the trio may were among the very first Africans to reach the Americas after being abducted from Africa.
Pictured, evidence of an African slave who was shot. Green coloration seen in picture C and D was acquired by contact with copper on the cervical vertebrae and a rib. The person is believed to have survived this and died of other causes
Study senior author Professor Johannes Krause, an archaeogeneticist involved in the study, said: ‘Combining molecular biology, isotopic data and bioinformatic tools with classical historical, anthropological and archaeological evidence allowed us to gain insights into the life history of some of the earliest African slaves in the Americas.
‘Using a cross-disciplinary approach, we unravel the life history of three otherwise voiceless individuals who belonged to one of the most oppressed groups in the history of the Americas.’
Study lead author Rodrigo Barquera, a graduate student, said: ‘Modern lab techniques allow us to gather incredible amounts of data from very little biological material.
‘The amount of information we can give back to archaeologists, anthropologists and society today using only one tooth from each individual is something we could only dream about just 10 years ago.
‘Having Africans in central Mexico so early during the colonial period tells us a lot about the dynamics of that time.
‘And since they were found in this mass burial site, these individuals likely died in one of the first epidemic events in Mexico City.’
The skeletons of one individual was marked with large insertions where their muscles attached to the bones, indicating a lifetime of gruelling physical labour which developed significant muscle mass.
Another individual’s bones was marred by a gunshot wound, which turned green potentially due to contact with a copper bullet fired by a tempestuous slave owner.
The last individual had clear evidence of healed skull and leg fractures. However, all three individuals are not believed to have died from any of these wounds.
Mr Barquera said: ‘We can tell they survived the maltreatment that they received.
‘Their story is one of difficulty but also strength, because although they suffered a lot, they persevered and were resistant to the changes forced upon them.’
The team was able to reconstruct the genomes of diseases the people suffered with.
One individual was infected with a strain of the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) often found in western Africa today.
Dr Denise Kühnert, part of the Max Planck, research team, said: ‘Although we have no indication that the HBV lineage we found established itself in Mexico, this is the first direct evidence of HBV introduction as the result of the transatlantic slave trade.’
Another individual was infected with Treponema pallidum pertenue which is similar to syphilis and causes yaws, a painful infection of the bones similar to syphilis that affects joints and skin.
The same strain of yaws has been previously identified in a 17th Century colonist of European descent, suggesting the establishment of the disease lineage of African origin in the early colonial population of Mexico.
The research was published in the journal Current Biology.