Spanish Colonial Registration Letter Chinese Working Contract (1853) D1

This exceptional archival document provides comprehensive documentation of a Chinese indentured labor contract during the early phase of systematic Chinese migration to Cuba under Spanish colonial administration. Dated March 7, 1853, and executed in Macao, this contract represents one of the earliest formal records of the coolie trade that would reshape Caribbean demographics and labor systems throughout the mid-19th century. The document identifies Yo-chin-aloy, an 18-year-old native of China, contracted by Ignacio Fernández de Castro, a merchant from Cádiz, establishing the transatlantic commercial networks that facilitated labor recruitment. The contract specifies transportation aboard the Spanish ship Victoria to Havana, documenting the maritime routes and vessels employed in this massive labor migration. Notably, the terms reveal the contractual framework governing these arrangements: an eight-year binding commitment with monthly compensation of four pesos, supplemented by provisions including meat, plantains, clothing, and medical care—details that illuminate both the economic calculations and purported welfare provisions of colonial labor systems. The subsequent transfer of the contract to Manuel B. Pereda in Havana on July 1, 1853, demonstrates how these labor agreements functioned as tradeable commodities within colonial commercial networks. This authenticated copy is an invaluable primary source for historians, genealogists, and researchers examining Chinese diaspora history, colonial labor economics, and the lived experiences of indentured workers. The specificity of contractual terms, compensation structures, and personnel transfers provides essential evidence for understanding the mechanisms and human dimensions of 19th-century transatlantic labor migration.