Spanish conquistadores colonised Paraguay in 1524 and the first African slaves arrived there in 1556. The majority of the slaves were from the west coast of Africa like many others in South American countries.
According to Argentine historian José Ignazio Telesca, the slaves that entered Paraguay legally came through the esclavistas ports of Buenos Aires, Montevideo and Córdoba, while those who gained access illegally came from Brazil. Telesca claims that the population of Paraguay continued to increase and by 1811, 50 percent comprised people of African descent, whether enslaved or free.
