rumors, this uprising would see the runaways murder whites and name a Black maroon as king. De Velasco did not give this possibility much importance, responding only by ordering the whipping of several enslaved people who had already been imprisoned for other kinds of crimes. But the danger became evident when Nyanga’s group began to plunder the region’s haciendas. Many historians agree that the land occupied by these apalencados (i.e., palenque-dwellers) was the area surrounding the Cofre de Perote, the Sierra de Zongolica, and the area of Omealca, in what is now the state of Veracruz. Nyanga’s maroons not only plundered the haciendas and farms within their reach in order to survive: they also attacked the Viceroyalty-era Mexico-Veracruz road, which connected the Gulf’s main port with the capital of New Spain. These attacks were worrisome for the authorities, as, throughout the colonial period, this road was the most transit and communication route in the Americas and its economic importance was essential for the development of New Spain. This led the viceroy to send militias to subdue the bellicose group. However, the fugitives were able to defend themselves on multiple occasions, as their hiding places were difficult to access and allowed the maroons to quickly defend themselves. This rebellion did not meet the same fate as others did: losses were high, and attacks on the royal road destabilized the viceregal economy. Most affected was the port of Veracruz, whose commodity flow was damaged. This was what, in this case, made waging a war against the maroons an unprofitable and hopeless enterprise. In 1609, news spread that the Africans intended to kill the inhabitants of the capital and crown one of their own (Yanga), leading the viceroy to take extreme measures against the rebels. Three years later, rumors would come that many Blacks who had been defeated had been dismembered and nailed to pieces along the main roads to serve as an example to the rebels. In the 16th century, Africans made up 6% (20,569) of the population. Given the need for labor, shipments of Africans would increase. By 1646, there was an average of almost 168,000 enslaved Blacks in New Spain. Spanish 1609 attack Led by the soldier Pedro González de Herrera, about 550 Spanish troops set out from Puebla in January; an estimated 100 were Spanish regulars and the rest conscripts and adventurers. The maroons were an irregular force of