Seventeenth-century Lima, the Pacific gateway to the imperial silver of Potosí, was frequently threatened by Dutch and English ships seeking to seize its treasures. Lima’s Black citizens, who by the second decade of the century had formed officially recognized militia corps, were among the city’s fiercest defenders. They were able to trade on their military success to claim access to Spanish martial nobility and increased social status, not only for themselves but for their entire community.Sponsored by the War in Society and Culture Program