'I Request Charity and Justice': The Lives of Enslaved and Free African Descent Peoples in New Spain's North Frontier.

This article illuminates pivotal moments in the lives of eighteen—enslaved and free—African descent peoples listed as mulatto from 1732 to 1803 in New Spain's north frontier. The records consulted reveal that both enslaved and free peoples employed the legal system to petition abuses and request transfers of ownership in places such as San Luis Potosí, Saltillo, Monclova, and San Antonio de Béjar, Texas. Two instances of manumission are detailed below. This article also highlights one escape from a semiliterate enslaved man who voluntarily returned to Saltillo, illuminating emotional ties to friends and family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]