Black people who either lived as free men, were brought through the Arab slave trade, or the Castilian or Portuguese colonization of Africa.
After the initial stages of the Spanish colonization of the Americas showed that Amerindians were not suitable for the labour that the conquerors required (mainly due to the Eurasian illnesses unknown in the Americas), Nicolás de Ovando decided to bring slaves from Spain.
[4] Between 1502 and 1518, Castile exiled hundreds of black slaves, primarily to work as miners.
Opponents of their enslavement cited their Christian faith and their repeated attempts of escape to the mountains or to join the Native Americans in revolt.
Proponents declared that the rapid diminution of the Native American population required a consistent supply of reliable low-cost workers.