Crispina Peres (c. 1615 – after 1670) was a " Senhora" slave trader, natural from Geba, nowadays
Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau, officially the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, is a country in West Africa that covers with an estimated population of 2,026,778. It borders Senegal to Guinea-Bissau–Senegal border, its north and Guinea to Guinea–Guinea-Bissau b ...
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Crispina Peres belonged to a lineage of African women traders, who operated in some of the main ports of the West African region, such as Guinguim, Farim,
Cacheu
Cacheu is a town in northwestern Guinea-Bissau lying on the Cacheu River, capital of the eponymous region. Its population was estimated to be 9,849 .
Etymology
The town of Cacheu is situated in territory of the Papel people. The name is of Bai ...
and Geba. She actively participated in trade networks connected to regional and international routes. Crispina's main business was exchanging products from European traders for human beings. Portuguese and local traders sold these people to different parts of the Americas and Portugal. Operating her business from
Cacheu
Cacheu is a town in northwestern Guinea-Bissau lying on the Cacheu River, capital of the eponymous region. Its population was estimated to be 9,849 .
Etymology
The town of Cacheu is situated in territory of the Papel people. The name is of Bai ...
, Crispina Peres was intrinsically connected to the slave trade and the Atlantic World between 1640 and 1668.
Etymology
Crispina Peres is a Christian baptismal name given by her parents when she was baptized in Geba. She inherited her last name from her father, Rodrigo Peres Baltazar, a native of
Terceira Island
Terceira () is a volcanic island in the Azores archipelago, about a third of the way across the North Atlantic Ocean at a similar latitude to Portugal's capital Lisbon, with the island group forming an insular part of Portugal. It is one of the ...
.
Life
Crispina Peres was born in c.1615, in Geba. She was the daughter of Isabel Pessoa and Rodrigo Peres Baltazar. Crispina's mother and maternal grandparents were Banhuns, born in Guinguim (now Beguingue). Guinguim is located north of Cacheu, near the port of Buguendo, in São Domingo.
Crispina Peres's father was Rodrigo Peres Baltazar, a native of Terceira Island and a foreign trader who did business in Guinguim. Rodrigo Peres Baltazar met Isabel Pessoa (Crispina Peres' mother) in Guinguim, where they got married, and later moved to Geba, where Crispina was born. When Crispina was a teenager, her parents moved from Geba to Cacheu. Later, after Crispina married, her parents moved to
Farim
Farim is a town of northern Guinea-Bissau. It sits on the north bank of the Farim/Cacheu River, about 215 km (135 miles) up the river from Cacheu. Population 8,661 (2009 census).the auto-da-fé, in Largo do
Rossio
The King Pedro IV Square (), popularly known as Rossio (), is a square in the Pombaline Downtown of Lisbon, Portugal. It has been one of its main squares since the Middle Ages. It has been the setting of popular revolts and celebrations, bullf ...
, in the center of Lisbon, where she walked in procession wearing sanbenito, with a lighted candle in her hand, and listened to her penance. Then, finally, she was obliged to pay the expenses of the Court proceedings.
After doing her penance, she left on the first ship from Lisbon to Cacheu. Three months later, she arrived home, finding her husband Jorge Gonçalves even more ill. Shortly after her return, in 1668, Crispina Peres was widowed for the second time.
She died in Cacheu after 1670 (unregistered date).
Memorial
In 2016, was inaugurated the Memorial of slavery and the slave trade in Guinea-Bissau dedicated to Slavery and the slave trade.