Graduate Research

Gabriel Barnes is a PhD Candidate who hails from Kansas City, Missouri. In the summer of 2025 he was able to take his first research trip to Seville, Spain. For two weeks, Gabriel engaged in exploratory historical research at the General Archive of the Indies, pouring over sixteenth and seventeenth century documents to identify evidence of Black and African-descended sailors who served aboard Spanish naval ships. Naval galleon crew rosters that contained a number of mariners, seemingly of African descent.

What kinds of sources are you working with? What’s the most exciting discovery you’ve made?
Many of the sources I am working with are crew rosters, government correspondence, and legal documents. When I was at the General Archive of the Indies this past summer, it was humbling to be able to hold and read through documents that were over 400 years old. Reading the crumbling pages of documents, in sixteenth century Spanish cursive, listing the sailors’ names, place of origin, physical description and rank, brought history to life in an emotional way for me. The African-descended sailors (described variously as “black of color,” “black tinted” and “mulato”) ranged from mere cabin boys to able-bodied seamen and gunners, indicating that they were regarded as any other navy sailor, regardless of race.

Is there an object that captures the spirit of your project?
This (above) is an image of a crew roster from the General Archive of the Indies in Seville, Spain. The document was dated 1579 and records the name of an Afro-Spanish sailor named Diego Fernandez. The sailor's name is in the bottom paragraph that starts with "Diego Fernandez" in cursive. He was a 40-year-old Black sailor from Pontevedra who earned his freedom after being enslaved. This captures the spirit my project because it highlights Afro-Hispanic agency in the colonial period.

Have you hit any dead ends? What hurdles did you face? How did you tackle these issues?
There were times when I was unable to access certain documents in the archive, but in those situations, I learned to look harder in sources I already had or look in other documents that were available.

Based on your research, which historical figure would you most (or least!) want to sit down and enjoy a beverage with?
I’d like to sit down and have a coffee with the sailor Diego Fernandez (the name mentioned in the document photo), and ask him about his experiences and life in his time. An inter-chronological exchange if you will.