Throughout its history, Spanish Town has served in countless ways for Jamaica. It was first the refuge for the Arawaks. Next the Spanish saw it as the perfect place for farming and dwelling, and then their priests and missionaries used the town as a religious center. Not long after the island changed hands, the English made it the island’s capital and even changed its name and architecture to suit their needs. If one follows the history of the place one will see its transformation from a small unplanned town to the political and legal hub of the island.
For many years it was home to the “dark-haired, round face, almond shaped eyes, and cinnamon colored jungle lovers.” The indigenous people of South America called the Arawak. War from other tribes causes them to drift north of their homeland to the Caribbean. They were the first inhabitance of the Jamaica. The present name of the island derives from the Arawak word Xaymaca, meaning “Land of wood and water.” When they arrived in the island they realized that the terrain and plant life was entirely different from the dense jungle that housed their original habitat. The material they found to construct houses was different from the ones they were accustom to using. They quickly learned to adjusted and start constructing distinctive dwellings know as the “Bohio” , a “rudimentary hut” that was perfectly compatible with the Caribbean climate.
The bohio were originally rounded huts that was formed by placing posts in circular intervals and weaving walls made of reeds or straight sticks between them. The roofs were conical made from the frond thatch or reeds.
The design evolves where it was no longer limited to the round shape but later resemble traditional tent shape. The ridge framew...
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...facade of King’s House, once a magnificent mansion, together with the Governor's stables. Flanking the eastern edge of the square is the old House of Assembly, now serving as home to the St. Catherine Parish Council offices. The Courthouse on the south of the square burned down in the 1980’s, leaving just the skeleton of the building.
The red brick buildings with their grand entrances and magnificent courtyard speak of an era when Spanish Town was the center and life of Jamaica. The modern day Town on the Plain has long since fallen from its original glory, it still maintains some importance by housing the Jamaica Archives and Public Record Office. Activities played an important role in retaining the life and meaning of the place. Spanish Town has lost much of its architectural language and meaning because its reasons for people to dwell there have been removed.
Fluorescent turquoise waters, a vibrant city culture, as well as an unending supply of mimosas and sunburns within a resort, benefits the common wealthy couple looking for a swell time. When people imagine the Caribbean, they probably visualize the soft sands of the Spice Island Beach Resort. Many people see the Caribbean as relaxing paradise. What people don’t understand, are the years of history hidden behind the mask of many resorts. In the book entitled “Empire’s Crossroads: A History of the Caribbean from Columbus to the Present Day”, Author Carrie Gibson differentiates how people view the Caribbean nowadays, by altering their visualization with four-hundred pages of rich history and culture, that argues the ideology about the Caribbean
societies to reexamine their view of the Caribbean. In this paper the following topics in The
Jamaica Kincaid in her essay “In History” describes how Antigua’s language, as part of cultural imperialism, was made inferior in favor of western languages. Columbus framed the unfamiliar environment of Antigua with things prominent in his thinking and his Spanish
One of the most important structures to the Native American tribes of Western New York is the longhouse. This structure built only of wood. These structures allowed for these people to stay warm throughout winters that could be as harsh as any we have seen. The masterly crafted houses provided warmth in the winter and in the summers allowed for the air to flow through and keep the house cool. Without these houses, the tribes of New York would not have survived.
The Spanish began their movement to Southwest America in the late sixteenth century. From that point on, their influence both on the Native Americans and the environment was extraordinaire. The goal of the Spaniards with regards to the Native Americans was to transform them “into tax-paying Christians.” This is in contrast to the idea that their goal was to eradicate the Indians form the Americas. Consequently, the Spaniards took many Indians so that they may plant their religion in the Natives and to use them as cheap labor. This led many Indians to learn the customs and language of the Spaniards so they could to be able to thrive in the Spanish culture. Thus, some Natives acquired Spanish, which was the main source of their Hispanicization; this was the notion of Indians becoming encompassed by the Spanish society. Furthermore, Indians gradually learned skills, obtained land, and sometimes found Hispanic spouses, thus furthering their Hispanicization. They now began to live in a Spanish manner and blend into the bottom of the Spanish societal ladder. This “acculturation” of the Native Americans was in contrast to the models of early English colonization. Spanish goals and plans sought to involve the Indians so that they may live in their society even if at the lower end of it’s ladder. English colonies viewed the Natives as savages and looked to them for slave labor or to rape their women. They did not plan to take the Indians into their society as the Spaniards did so throughout this era.
Spanish family lived in the Spanish area. The Spanish person thought that it would be safe living
Antigua was a small place. A beautiful island that gets a lot of tourist’s attention. These tourists effects Antiguans in so many ways. In small place, Jamaica Kincaid explained the effects of tourism and colonialism of English people on Antigua and how they affect the culture and education of Antiguans. This book “it is often seen as a highly personal history of her home on the island of Antigua” (Berman).
Based on the relacion by Las Casas, a short account of the destruction of the Indies: discuss the arguments presented by the author on behalf of the native population. Evaluate the arguments, what evidence did Las Casas omit from his account? Be specific and provide examples and references.
Rouse. "Hispaniola: Caribbean Chiefdoms in the Age of Columbus." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.
In the first section, Monroy describes the Indian and the Iberian cultures and illustrates the role each played during missionization, as the Indians adapted ?to the demands of Iberian imperialism.?(5) He stresses the differen...
The Caribbean is comprised of a group of island. Jamaica is one of the greatest Antilles. It has a tropical climate. Each country has its own culture, Jamaicans is not an exemption, and they have an assorted and distinctive one. “Their culture is a complex mixture of African, Arabic, European, East Indian, and Chinese roots combining together to create a rich, dynamic heritage” (Gall, 2009).
The Conquest of New Spain Cortés came not to the New World to conquer by force, but by manipulation. Bernal Daz del Castillo, in the "Conquest of New Spain," describes how Cortés and his soldiers manipulated the Aztec people and their king Montezuma from the time they traveled from Iztapalaopa to the time when Montezuma took Cortés to the top of the great Cue and showed him the whole of Mexico and its countryside, and the three causeways which led into Mexico. Castillo's purpose for recording the mission was to keep an account of the wealth of Montezuma and Mexico, the traditions, and the economic potential that could benefit Cortés' upcoming conquest. However, through these recordings, we are able to see and understand Cortés' strategy in making Mexico "New Spain." He came as a wolf in sheep's clothing and manipulated Montezuma through his apparent innocence.
In the early 16th century Hernán Cortés wrote a letter to King Charles I of Spain. The letter being a statement of great accomplishment and power wasn’t just a simple letter; to Hernán Cortés it was a symbol of authority and a step forward towards expansion. The letter acknowledged their achievements of this expedition; the first being their success and the discovery of land to be colonized and this amazing empire known as the Aztec empire. Steel, armor, canons, firearms, and horses presented Cortés and his crew the advantage over the native people they encountered which helped justify the Spanish overcoming of the Aztec empire.
Wilson, Samuel M. Hispaniola: Caribbean Chiefdoms in the Age of Columbus. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press,1990.
When one thinks of Barbados, one thinks of luscious, turquoise blue waters; soft white sand beaches; blue, white clouded skies; fresh fruits; exotic, delicious dishes and honeymoons. One, however, tends to forget the formation of this land. This Caribbean luxury Island has much history and great heritage. In this report, I will detail Barbados’s location, history, labor relations, population size and structure, industries, plus add a little zest with the beauty of the Island.