The African men and women who would later find themselves captives aboard the Amistad were first sold to a Spanish slave trader. From there, they traveled to Cuba aboard a slave ship called the Tecora. Many of the prisoners died during the nearly two month voyage because of the unhealthy conditions on the ship. Finally, a Cuban plantation owner purchased about fifty males from the Tecora. The purchaser then hired a schooner known l the Amistad to transport his new slaves to his plantation. Because importing slaves was illegal, the purchaser, Jose Ruiz, obtained papers stating that the Africans were born in Cuba. This made the sale acceptable under the Cuban laws of the time.