Thousands of indigenous people in the Spanish colony of Cuba perished in the heavy labor they were subjected to, so much so that the indigenous population was in danger of disappearing. They were nomadic by nature and unaccustomed to methodical agricultural work. Thus, a few years later, the Spanish Emperor, Charles V, authorized the annual importation of a certain quota of black African slaves, as they were stronger and more suitable for field work. Thus began the question of slavery in the Americas.
