Early History

In 1492 Christopher Colombus on his first voyage to the Americas established a Spanish settlement, Navidad, on the north coast of the island of Hispaniola in what is now Haiti. That settlement was destroyed by the natives but Columbus on a later voyage establiched Isabela farther to the east on the north coast. The Spanish colony, called Santo Domingo, became a staging point for later expeditions and provided supplies for the conquistadores in Mexico and elsewhere. The first administrator for Santo Domingo was a brother of Christopher Columbus. Spaniards were given estates on the island and the right to compel the labor of the natives. The native population very nearly disappeared during the first half of the 16th century as a result of epidemics and enslavement. As a consequence the disappearance of the native population the population of Hispaniola, even in the Hispanic Dominican Republic, is not mestizo, as is the case in much of Latin America.

After the conquest of Mexico and the establishment of New Spain Santo Domingo lost is status as an adminsraive cener and its economy lacked dynamism. By the end of the 16th century Spain was losing control of the seas to French, Dutch and British forces. Pirates preyed upon weak colonies such as those of Santo Domingo. By the middle of the 17th century French settlers occupied a the island of Tortuga off the north coast of Hispaniola and later French Huguenots began to settle the north coast of what is now Haiti. By 1700 the Spanish king had relinquished control of the western part of Hispaniola to the French. The French settlement was at first known as Sainte-Dominigue but later the name Haiti was adopted based upon the native name for the area which meant mountainous.

(To be continued.)