An Areito of Freedom and Survival

This book contains the genealogy of the Pellot whose ancestors were forcefully taken away from their homeland in Africa. Their genealogy is a testament to how history has erased their stories as well as their survival. Gone are the stories of how they were exploited, abused and exhausted to no end on a daily basis. This plantation's workers were forced to tend, grow and process coffee and much later, sugar. More than 300 workers - women were recorded in the book of slaves who gave birth to their children. In many cases the women were raped and battered by their enslavers. Their children who were the result of forced battery and rape were always illegitimate in the registry birth and death records. This might be evident in the death record of Emeterio Pellot contained in this genealogy. In total, Puerto Rico had over 30,000 enslaved human beings. This is their story.