There is a popular narrative that Afro-descendant people came to the New World as enslaved individuals who were subjected to domestic, agricultural and other forms of labour. However, there were many Africans who were conscripted in the armies helping to conquer and pacify the land for the Spanish crown. Popular culture propagated an erroneous idea that Spanish men solely accomplished the task of conquest and exploration. However, there existed an entire army of African-descent warriors who aided the Spanish conquest, some accompanied them on explorative missions as well. Most of these soldiers were conscripted soldiers. Mathew Restall writes that "wherever Spaniards set foot in the Americas as members of conquest companies they were accompanied by black conquistadors". Some of these black warriors were said to have acquired lands and freedom.
There was a popular African-descent warrior in history named Juan Garrido, several sources claim that he was an enslaved soldier. According to the sources, some Africans were able to identify varying levels of office because America had not been fully conquered in the 16th century, as the discovery of the new world had not long happened. Therefore, African men sought ways to discover maroon settlements, become pirates or voluntarily join expeditions. From the beginning of Spanish activity in America, Africans were present both as voluntary expeditionaries and as involuntary colonists. Juan Garrido is said to be a combination of both. Juan Garrido, an African was purchased by a Portuguese trader who took him to Lisbon. Juan eventually ended up with a man named Pedro. Pedro upon hearing of the potential of the new world may have taken Juan along with his own family to Santo Domingo and Puerto Rico. Interestingly, Juan Garrido says, "I became a Christian in Lisbon, of my own will, spent seven years in Castile and landed in Santo Domingo.....where I was for some time from there I ventured to San Juan de Puerto Rico.....where I spent considerable time.....afterwards landing in New Spain(Mexico)". Based on these words Juan seems to suggest his independence. Juan affirmed his role as a warrior, he had many military exploits in the Caribbean and Central America. According to him, he was there in the taking of Mexico City, he claims that under Cortes, he was present in all the invasions and pacifications and that he helped to conquer Puerto Rico and Cuba.
Juan Garrido was a Spanish war hero and because of his many expeditions, he wrote a letter to King Charles V of Spain for recognition. This letter may be one of the first from an African man living in Mexico, "I, Juan Garrido, a black resident of this city(Mexico), appear before Your Mercy and state that I require making a probanza to the perpetuity of the King, a report on how I served Your Majesty in the conquest and pacification of this New Spain, from the time when the Marques de Valle (Cortes) entered it; and in his company, I was present at all the invasions and conquests and pacifications which were carried out, always with the said Marques, all of which I did at my own expense without being given either salary or allotment of natives or anything else. As I am married and a resident of this city, where I have always lived, and also as I went out with Marques de Valle to discover the Islands which are in the parts of the Southern sea (the Pacific) where there was much hunger and privation; and also as I went to discover and pacify the islands of San Juan de Buriquen de Puerto Rico and also as I went on the Pacification and conquest of the island of Cuba with the adelantado Diego Valazquez, in all these ways for thirty years have I served and continue to serve Your Majesty for these reasons stated above do I petition Your Mercy. And also because I was the first to have the inspiration to sell maize here in New Spain and to see if it took; I did this and I experimented at my own expense". Juan Garrido sought recognition and monetary gains from his contribution to Spanish civilization, he brought an entire food source(maize) to the New World. Juan Garrido is not the only black man who contributed to the advancement of Spanish civilization, another African named Alvarado, an African conquistador who was granted an estate because of the central role he played in the conquest of Chile.
These African-descent warriors did not only help conquer territories for the Spanish Crown but they were granted lands in these regions and sometimes they gained their freedom. There were thousands of Black warriors during the conquest and pacification of the Americas by the Spanish. Mathew Restall writes that "Alvarado's Africans, however, were neither the first nor the last Blacks to be brought down the Pacific coast of South America during the 1530s, thousands of Africans accompanied the Spanish invaders of the greater Peruvian region as conquistadors and auxiliaries of various kinds. As scholars have noted, the historical record is "remarkably silent" on the roles of black conquistadors in Peru, yet their presence and large numbers are indisputable".
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