Chinese Indentured "Coolie" in Matanzas, Cuba, Official Government Contract of an Identified Chinese Man "David", February 1867

Cuba Labor Chinese Indentured Servant

Manuscript & Autographs

[Cuba] [Chinese] [Labor] Cuban indentured servant contract documenting the state administration of Chinese indenture in western Cuba, February 1867, records the municipal enforcement of Cuban contract labor rules for Asian migrants under the post 1860 regulatory system that governed wages, discipline, illness, food, and flight. Issued on a printed form headed “Jurisdiccion de Matanzas,” the document cites the Real Decreto of 6 July 1860 and the circular of 27 March 1861 governing the “introduccion y régimen de colonos asiáticos,” then applies that framework to a specific recontracting arrangement between the laborer David and a patron named Juan. Dated 17 February 1867, it shows the continued operation of this municipal contract system after the additional order of 28 March 1866, which is also cited in clause 6 governing illness and compensation.
David and Juan. 17 February 1867. Single sheet. 1 page. Approximately 8" x 11". Printed and manuscript Spanish contract on a form headed “Jurisdiccion de Matanzas.” The parties are entered as the colono “David” and “Juan [...?],” with David identified as a native of a town in Asia, of “oficio campo,” and described as having completed a prior commitment before agreeing to contract anew. Clause 1 fixes the term at “dos años.” Clause 2 authorizes the patron to direct him to whatever labor he may assign in ingenios, fincas, or talleres, with work entered with how many hours a day. Clause 4 sets compensation together with daily maintenance including meat and vegetable rations, medical assistance and medicines during illness, and annual clothing allotments including trousers, shirt, and blanket. Clause 8 repeats the employer’s obligation to pay David punctually by completed months and to fulfill all conditions set out in the contract, which bears multiple signatures and an oval district stamp at lower left.
Contracts of this kind show the process by which Chinese workers in Cuba were transferred from one term of service into another through standardized paperwork that joined wages to labor discipline, rationing, medical provision, and restricted mobility. The references to the 1860 decree, the 1861 circular, and the 1866 order place the sheet within the evolving legal structure that governed Chinese indenture in Matanzas, one of the island’s major plantation districts. Toning, original folds, edge wear, scattered creasing, and light ink offsetting; text clear and overall very good condition. A strong surviving municipal record of recontracting Chinese labor in the sugar zone of nineteenth century Matanzas.

Item #23147

Price: $1,250.00