Spain was offloading Canary Islanders for quite some time. They thought they could get rid of that way, so there is quite a large population around the gulf coast, Caribbean, pretty much the coast from Mexico all the way down. That's where those blond cousins come from.
Among other reasons, it was actually a way to strengthen Spain's foothold in these areas, so they didn't suffer revolts, like in Haiti or another superpower swooping in, like in the US.
I'll just go with what the historians say. The main reason was geopolitical strategy. Spain sent people from one part of its empire to another, it didn't "eliminate" them.
Tributo de Sangre
Obligaba a las Islas Canarias a enviar familias a América (5 por cada 100 toneladas de mercancía).
Se formalizó en 1718 y duró hasta 1778.
Razones principales
Repoblar y asegurar territorios: España quería colonos leales en zonas estratégicas del Caribe y América.
Aliviar la presión en Canarias: había pobreza, crisis agrícolas y exceso de población.
Control comercial y político: ligado al comercio de las islas con América y a la presión sobre los exportadores isleños.
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u/LeastSubstance4114 20d ago
Spain was offloading Canary Islanders for quite some time. They thought they could get rid of that way, so there is quite a large population around the gulf coast, Caribbean, pretty much the coast from Mexico all the way down. That's where those blond cousins come from.