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Sugarcane is believed to have originated in New Guinea around 8,000 BCE, where indigenous people initially chewed it raw for sweetness.

Initial large scale production began in the 16th century, on islands like Madeira, the Canary Islands, and São Tomé off the coast of Africa. Later, the Caribbean islands became major sugar producing centers, including Barbados, Jamaica, Saint-Domingue (present day Haiti), Cuba, and others under various European colonial rule. Sugar was predominantly produced on large agricultural estates called plantations, a system that maximized production for export.

The growth of the sugar industry was linked to the transatlantic slave trade and the use of enslaved African people as the primary labor force on these plantations.

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In the 16th century, sugar production involved several steps to transform sugarcane into a usable product, often relying on arduous and dangerous labor.

Freshly harvested sugarcane was transported to a sugar mill. There, it was crushed to extract the sugary juice. Mills were powered by animals like mules or oxen, waterwheels, or windmills.

The extracted juice was then taken to a boiling house and boiled in large kettles. As water evaporated, the sugar would crystallize out of the solution. At this stage, the sugar was a dark brown, akin to modern brown sugar but much darker. The boiled mixture, containing sugar crystals and molasse, was then transferred to a curing house. The molasses would drain out through the holes, leaving behind a solid cone of sugar, known as a sugar loaf. To produce whiter, more refined sugar, the sugar loaves were further processed. This involved re-dissolving the sugar in water, filtering it (often through bone charcoal to remove color), and re-boiling it to achieve a purer crystallization.

The labor on sugar plantations was initially performed by Indigenous people and European indentured servants. However, due to the high mortality rates among the Indigenous population caused by disease and harsh working conditions, as well as Europeans' reluctance to perform the demanding labor, enslaved Africans were increasingly imported to work on the plantations.

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How did the item travel across oceans? Who moved it and why?

Sugar was a super profitable crop that was traded across continents throughout oceanic travel.

The Sugar plantations required large amounts of land, labor, and capital, which created a demand for trade for other goods and services such as slaves, tools, machinery, and transportation.

Growing sugar became one of the primary economic activities of the Caribbean, leading to an increase trade for sugar.

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4. Consumption & Power / Invisible Labor

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4. Consumption & Power / Invisible Labor

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Who consumed it? What forms of labor or knowledge are erased or hidden in that final moment?

Sugar and slavery were connected in the Americas during the early modern era. The knowledge and the action of doing it was done by the slaves. The Europeans were privileged enough to be taught or served.