Identity card and labor contract for a "colono" (indentured laborer) in Cuba (1885) D1

This rare 1885 identity card and labor contract documents the life of Luis Segundo, a 21-year-old indentured laborer operating within Cuba's colonial economic system. Issued in Havana under the authority of Don Tomás del Monte, this two-year contract exemplifies the restrictive labor practices that governed the island's workforce during the late 19th century. The document served a dual purpose: it functioned as both an official identity document and a binding labor agreement, reflecting the tight control colonial authorities maintained over the laboring classes. Luis Segundo, identified as a peon by trade, was legally required to carry this certificate at all times. Failure to produce it upon demand could result in arrest—a provision that underscores the coercive nature of the colonial labor system and the limited freedoms afforded to working-class individuals. The handwritten notation dated October 1881 adds temporal specificity and authenticity to this historical artifact. Such documents are invaluable for understanding the social hierarchies, labor exploitation, and administrative mechanisms of Spanish colonial Cuba. This contract illuminates the lived experiences of ordinary workers during a transformative period in Cuban history, offering researchers and collectors tangible evidence of the conditions faced by indentured laborers. The survival of such personal documents is increasingly uncommon, making this an exceptional primary source for historians, genealogists, and those studying colonial labor systems and Caribbean history.