The Autobiography of a Runaway Slave was an interesting view point told by Cuban runaway slave, Esteban Montejo, and edited by Miguel Barnet. This essay depicts Montejo's experience with slavery during the late 1800's and the early 1900's. It also gives insight to the life and treatment of slaves in Cuba on the Flor de Sagua during that time period.
             Esteban Montejo, the narrator of the essay, was a man of 105 telling his lifetime story. Growing up into slavery, Montejo knew little of his background, including any real information of his parents were. He was a child born into slavery, a criollito, on a plantation. Other characters involved in Montejo's story included those whom he encountered in his time on the plantations and while hiding in the forest.
             On the plantations, the slaves lived in barracoons. These barracoons were large and either wooden or masonry with mud floors. The slaves lived in filth, infested with fleas and ticks. Inside them, illness and disease spread extremely quickly living in close quarters. Outside of the barracoons there were little plots of land which the slaves were allowed to harvest their own vegetables.
             The autobiography also showed how all of the different slaves interacted. They would often play games and gamble to pass the time when they were not working. Religion was also a large part of their lifestyles. For instance, there were two African religions in the barracoons: the Lucumi and the Congolese. The Congolese where more involved in witchcraft, while the Lucumi relied more so on saints. In addition to those two, Catholicism made an impact as well. Witchcraft was another strong aspect of slave life. There were "magic-men" who seemed to settle every problem with a potion. Most of the religious backgrounds revolved around the basis of magic, or witchcraft.
             It was customary for the slaves to be "bred". Often the strong tall males and women were bunked...