Alfonsa, María Concepción y José Thomas, 1801Museo de la Universidad del Rosario
This exhibit is one of the results of the research project "Enslavement (and other forms of racial oppression) in the history of the Universidad del Rosario: archival and memorial processes".
José del Rosario, 1767Museo de la Universidad del Rosario
From the beginning of the Conquest until the 19th century, in several regions of the country, the forced labor of people of African descent was fundamental for the production and export of goods such as gold, silver and sugar cane.
The past of the Colegio Mayor del Rosario is no stranger to this history. In fact, enslavement was an essential condition for the creation of the institution, as well as for its sustainability for almost two centuries.
Ana María Isabel Cuéllar, 1826Museo de la Universidad del Rosario
With this series of images, we wanted to break with the dehumanizing logic of the slave trade, in an attempt for its victims to be seen and recognized for what they were: human beings.
Inventory of property of the haciendas Calandaima and Bosa of the Colegio Mayor del RosarioMuseo de la Universidad del Rosario
There are very few records about the lives of these people. The available historical sources (deeds of sale, slaves registers, records of the government of the Colegio and the Haciendas) treat people as “property" and there are no texts that reflect their point of view.
The 17th century cloister of the Colegio Mayor del Rosario, and its colonial collections are mainly comprised of portraits of the Spanish and Spanish-descent men educated in the School.
Antonio, 1667Museo de la Universidad del Rosario
Antonio, 1667
Antonio is the first enslaved person mentioned in the Historical Archive of the Colegio Mayor del Rosario. He was a cook in the Cloister. See historical document.
Antonio, 1667Museo de la Universidad del Rosario
We do not know anything else about Antonio. However, his case reveals that there were enslaved persons that worked and lived in the school Cloister since its foundation.
Juan de Mosquera Nuguerol (17th Century) by Taller de los FigueroaMuseo de la Universidad del Rosario
In the book of the Consiliatura of 1676, the rector decided to "leave a mulato slave called Antonio in the kitchen service".
The rector was Juan Mosquera Nuguerol, member of the first generation of alumni.
Agustín, 1695Museo de la Universidad del Rosario
Agustín, 1695
He escaped from the Hacienda de Calandaima - at that time the main rural property of the Colegio Mayor del Rosario - where he was enslaved.
Agustín, 1695
It is probable that Agustín tried to settle in one of the Palenques nearby. See historical document.
Record of Consiliatura, 1697, Archivo Histórico de la Universidad del Rosario, Caja 2 f. 190Museo de la Universidad del Rosario
"Santos", 1697
This young man lived at the Hacienda de Calandaima, and also at the Cloister.
"Santos", 1697
According to the Act of Consiliatura of 1697, he was sick with leprosy and the Rector and the Councilors decided to sell him.
His case illustrates the violence associated with enslavement, as well as the contempt for the lives of people of African descent that prevailed in some sectors.
Sebastián Carlos Prettel y Cid Cuadrado (18th Century) by AnónimoMuseo de la Universidad del Rosario
The rector and Councillors would "use the money given for him to buy mules".
The rector who approved selling this young man, was Sebastián Carlos Prettel y Cid Cuadrado.
Micaela, 1718Museo de la Universidad del Rosario
"Micaela"
The only mention of her is a police report of 1718 that describes her as "a mulata called la Mogollona, a woman of bad living” (Archivo G. de Indias).
"Micaela"
It is mentioned that she lived near the Cloister and the schoolboys went to her house at night. See reference.
María Luisa, 1742Museo de la Universidad del Rosario
María Luisa, 1738-1742
Maria Luisa was an enslaved woman of the age of 40 years old, who worked in the Cloister around the 18th century. See document "Escritura de Esclava"/"Deed of Slave"
Francisco Javier Tello de Mayorga y Camacho (18th Century) by AnónimoMuseo de la Universidad del Rosario
In 1738, the rector Francisco Javier Tello de Mayorga bought Maria Luisa for 270 pesos, according to the "Deed of slaves". See document.
María Luisa, 1742Museo de la Universidad del Rosario
In 1742, the rector Luis Francisco de Guzmán, the Vice Rector, the Councilors and the Procurator of the Rosario decided to sell her because the students complained about her services in the kitchen.
José del Rosario, 1767Museo de la Universidad del Rosario
José del Rosario, 1767
He appears in a document from 1767, both as a person enslaved at the Hacienda Calandaima, and as an administrator in charge of carrying out an inventory. His case evidences the search for autonomy within the institution of slavery. See historical source.
José del Rosario, 1767
His case evidences the search for autonomy within the institution of slavery. See historical source.
Josefa, 1767Museo de la Universidad del Rosario
Josefa, 1767
She was the wife of José del Rosario with whom she had two children.
Josefa, 1767
She appears in a "Padrón de Esclavos" of 1767 where it is mentioned that she was "free". Many people of African descent were formally "free", however, in practice, they did not always enjoy effective freedom.
María Matamba, 1767Museo de la Universidad del Rosario
María Matamba, 1767
It is said of her that she was "free" and that her husband, Simón Joaquín, was enslaved.
María Matamba, 1767
She probably had decided to keep her lastname Matamba, to emphasize her connection to the region of Africa from which she came, which is in southern Angola. See historical document.
María Josefa, 1786Museo de la Universidad del Rosario
Maria Josefa, 1786
She was 8 years old when she was bought and later sold by Antonio Nariño to the Rector of the Colegio Mayor del Rosario.
María Josefa, 1786Museo de la Universidad del Rosario
We will probably never know what her experiences were at Antonio Nariño's house or at the Colegio Mayor del Rosario.
Slave Deed, 1786, Archivo Histórico de la Universidad del Rosario, Caja 10, 50-52.Museo de la Universidad del Rosario
However, the story of this girl, and that of the family from which she was separated, is linked to the past of our institution.
Alfonsa, María Concepción y José Thomas, 1801Museo de la Universidad del Rosario
Alfonsa, María Concepción y José Thomas, 1801
This 21-year-old mother appears, with her daughter and 8-month old baby, in an inventory of Hacienda San Miguel. We do not know if Maria Concepcion and José Tomás were separated from their mother Alfonsa. See the inventory.
Ana María Isabel Cuéllar, 1826Museo de la Universidad del Rosario
Ana María Isabel Cuéllar, 1826.
Ana María - who was born in Ibagué in the 1770s - was one of the enslaved people of the Colegio Mayor del Rosario. See historical document.
Juan Fernández de Sotomayor y Picón (19th Century) by Taller de los Figueroa (siglo XIX)Museo de la Universidad del Rosario
The Rector, Juan Fernández de Sotomayor, had brought Ana María Isabel from an Hacienda to work as a cook at the Colegio Mayor del Rosario. However, she decided to run away, and was arrested by the police.
This exercise can be interpreted as an attempt to imagine "impossible portraits" (since we will never know what these people really looked like), designed to bring their personal stories to life, in a way that is both tangible and accessible, but also fair and respectful. The images were made with the support of an artificial intelligence program -DALL-E- with the intention of building memory processes through the elements of the artistic genre of portraiture, present in the University museum.
Curators: Bastien Bosa, Diana Carolina Angulo, Ingrid Frederick
Research Project: “Enslavement (and other forms of racial oppression) in the history of the Universidad del Rosario: archival and memorial processes”. This project is part of the Universidad del Rosario's association with the Universities Studying Slavery consortium. This consortium is dedicated to researching and confronting the historical legacy of slavery and racial discrimination in universities, as well as promoting practices of reconciliation and reparation.
Semillero de Estudios Afrodescendientes of the Universidad del Rosario.
Museo de la Universidad del Rosario (MURO). The research project has been funded by the Dirección de Investigación e Innovación and by the Archivo Histórico of the Universidad del Rosario.
