By the late 16th century, French colonists were settling in western Hispaniola, with Spain recognising French sovereignty over that part of the island in 1697. Moving away from its previous subsistence economy, in the 18th century the French colony of Saint-Domingue refocused its economy around the mass export of indigo, coffee, sugar, and cocoa to Europe. To work the plantations, the French colonists sought labor from various sources, including a renewed emphasis on importing enslaved Africans; ultimately, Saint-Domingue became the colony with the largest number of slaves in the Caribbean. Some enslaved people escaped, becoming Maroons, forming groups with their own traditions.