JUAN VALIENTE

'Juan Valiente' (¿1505? - † Tucapel,1553), spanish black conqueror.
As many black conquerors like Juan Garrido and Sebastián Toral in Mexico, Juan Bardales in Honduras and Panama, or Juan Beltrán (among others), Valiente was born with another name in Western Africa till 1505 and arrived as slave to Mexico, where was bought by a Spanish called ''Alonso Valiente'', who baptized and carried him to Spain.
In 1533, he signed a contract with his proprietor which allowed him to seek new chances as a conqueror nailing to come back after four years with profits.
Juan arrived to Guatemala and joined to the Pedro de Almagro's expedition.
He arrived to Chile with Almagro participating on Pedro de Valdivia's company.
Valiente contributed to establish Santiago de Chile in 1546 and was compensated with a ranch on the outskirts. Four years later, he received a commission and he made up a family with Juana de Valdivia, a governor's ex black woman slave.
In Chile, he got a certain fortune and he could live free. Nonetheless Alonso Valiente had not forgotten his business deal. Alonso conceded him a new installment, and in 1541, sent a grandson of his to negotiate with his slave a reasonable price to leberate from his property.
However, Juan never forgot his slave condition and he tried to pay but due to some corrupt official he could not do it.
Alonso insisted on recovering his money, but it was too late, Juan Valiente had died and rested in Araucania.

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Bibliography

Bibliography

★ Matthew Restall, Los siete mitos de la conquista española, Paidós, 2005.