"Negeros no porão do navio." Lithograph by João Maurício Rugendas, in Viagem Pitoresca Através do Brasil (19th c.)

Packed into slave ships, captives were called piezas de Indias: Indies pieces. This was supposed to mean that they met a standard size, being large enough to work hard. If an individual was not tall enough, the space could be "pieced out" by adding a child.

Hacinados en barcos de esclavos, los cautivos eran llamados "piezas de Indias". Esto significaba que los esclavos cumplían con un tamaño estándar al ser suficientemente grandes para trabajar con vigor. Si la altura de un individuo no era adecuada, su espacio podía completarse con un niño.