It used to be widespread.
There are many things that don't exist anymore and yet were there for centuries, such as the open air slave market of SD which several maps from colonial times show it was a part of the Santa Bárbara area of the Colonial Zone. Now there are several buildings there and probably very few people know what was there at one time. The "merchandise" arrived at the port, walk into the city through the wall door near the Alcazár and then continue to La Negreta Street. There was a building (hardly anything left from that building too) which was known as "La Casa del Diablo" where the Africans were "stored" until they would be taken across the Isabel La Católica Street (some maps show the slave market a couple of blocks south on the same Isabel La Católica Street) one by one and completely naked to be sold. Any imperfections or mark was caused for a lower price negotiation. From research I did about this many years ago, there was a sort of stage where the Africans would stand as they were subjected to the sales process The sale process included "inspecting" the "merchandise" by the prospective buyers including opening their mouth to see the state of their teeths. Once sold they would be tsken to their owners finca or plantation in the interior or to their owner's home in a town. In all likelihood that was probably the New World's first slave market. But nowadays hardly anyone knows about if because not only are buildings occupy the area where it was, there is not a single plaque mentioning that on the wall of the facade of any of those buildings.
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