Freedom in the Rainforest. The formation of a black peasantry in Colombia’s Pacific Coast, 1850-1930

Abstract

This article reconstructs the basis on which the black peasantry of the Colombian Pacific was formed after the end of slavery. The descendants of slaves managed to become independent producers, rather than a rural proletariat, through access that had not only the land but also to the forest, water and underground. These peasants were not primarily farmers; extracting gold, ivory palm and rubber to sell it to white traders, who exported. In the context of this extractive economy, freedom meant to achieve control over the territory and work processes. However, yet we need to recognize the contributions that these citizens made the construction of Colombia on the basis of their freedom.