Blood tribute

The right to families (Spanish "derecho de familias" ) was colloquially referred to as the blood tribute (Spanish tribute de sangre ) , after five Canarian families had to be sent to America for every 100 tons of goods on ships that called at the island of Gran Canaria . This obligation is part of the "Reglamento Real" of 1718, with which the trade monopoly with America, which was previously held by the Casa de Contratación , was lifted .

Emigration to America has been banned since 1574 to avoid depopulation of the island, but overpopulation became apparent after the agricultural crisis at the end of the 17th century and it seemed appropriate to use emigration as an outlet. In the course of the 18th century the "derecho de familias" developed into a fiscal provision; it was now possible for the shipowners to settle this obligation with a cash payment if no families were found willing to emigrate on the official terms. The blood tribute was lifted in 1778.

The impact of this forced emigration was significant and helped to consolidate the Spanish presence in those parts of the Spanish Empire in America that were threatened by potential rivals, such as Portugal, which pushed into the Río de la Plata region from southern Brazil or England and France in the areas north of the Rio Grande , in the Gulf of Mexico and in the Caribbean . City foundations like Montevideo and San Antonio in Texas and the repopulation achieved in Cuba , Puerto Rico and the Mississippi Delta show the importance of the Spanish Crown's efforts to repopulate America with the help of settlers from the Canary Islands.

Today there are still descendants of the Canarian emigrants from the 18th century in some areas in the Mississippi Delta who, at least in the older generations, have retained the Spanish language and a certain pride in their origins.