Running head: THE LEGACY OF THE SPANISH TO THE JAMAICAN CULTURE

THE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF THE CARIBBEAN

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Marketing

Introduction to Spanish – SPA 101

Submitted by

MIGUEL WILSON
I.D.: 20151031
September 14, 2015

LECTURER: MS. SHERRELL WILSON

“Research the legacy of the Spanish to the Jamaican Culture”

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History

Like many Caribbean Islands, Jamaica has a long history of colonization and

slavery. The island was first colonized by the Spanish in the late 1400s then captured by the

British in the mid-1600s and was a British colony since then. Christopher Columbus’

initial intention was to get to the East Indies by traveling west and thereby proving his

theory that the world was circular, he however landed in the Caribbean. The discovery of

the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean served as a form of encouragement for Columbus

to explore and find more islands. He then discovered the island of Cuba and it was there

on that island that he learnt from the indigenous people of an island just south of them that

was filled with gold and called 'Xamayca' now known as Jamaica. Jamaica was inhabited

by Arawak Indians when Columbus explored it in 1494 and named it St. Jago. It remained

under Spanish rule until 1655, when it became a British possession.

Legacy

In 1509 Juan de Esquivel founded the first permanent European settlement, the town

of Sevilla la Nueva (New Seville), on the north coast. In 1534 the capital was moved to

Villa de la Vega (later Santiago de la Vega), now called Spanish Town. As Jamaica’s

capital city from 1534 to 1872, Spanish Town was the focal point of the island’s social,

economic and political life. During this time, the town witnessed the evolution of modern

Jamaica. It welcomed the Spanish when they fled Sevilla La Nueva and observed as they

developed its land. It watched the English invasion and subsequent occupation of the

island, and later, listened while the governor read the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing

all slaves, in its “Plaza Mayora.” In its prime, Spanish Town was a magnificent and
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impressive metropolis with stately red brick homes and grand monuments. Today, it is

Jamaica’s third largest urban center with a population of approximately 87,000 people.

Places with names derived from the Spanish:

Auracabeza – Aura, air or breeze. Cabeza, head or high land. (This is now

Oracabessa in St. Mary); Los Angelos – The Angels. (Angels in St. Catherine was

the first terminus of the railway.); Rio Cobre – Copper River or Cobra Port, Snake

River. (still known as Rio Cobre); Diablo Monte – Devil’s Mount. Now called

Mount Diablo; Lacovia – Quasi Lago-Via, or the way by the lake? (A village in St.

Elizabeth.); Liguanea – Lia-white-guana, the name of an animal, probably one

frequent in that part of the island. (That part of Lower St. Andrew, bordered by the

Long Mountain, St. Andrew Mountains and the Red Hills.); Moneque, or Monesca

Savannah – Savannah of monkeys. (Now confined to the village of Moneague. This

word is Arawak but was perhaps brought by the Spaniards from Cuba where

manique’ still means ‘thicket’; Ocho Rios – Oor ‘Tehi Rios’, said to mean eight

rivers. (In St. Ann, it was more commonly called Chareira) As late as 1841 William

Rob wrote "Ocho Rios, called to this day by the old inhabitants ‘Cheireras’ its early

and appropriate name ‘the Bay of Waterfalls’, but has now gone back to Ocho

Rios"; Yalos – Frosts (whence, perhaps corruptly, Yallahs) the high white cliffs

having the appearance of a frosty covering. (Now called Yallahs.); Luidas – Perhaps

from Luzida; gay, fine or from Lluvias rains? (Lluidas Vale is in St. Catherine.);

Martha Brea – Martha- a woman’s name; Brea, tar; perhaps a nickname of some

Spanish sailor’s Dulcinea like the English vulgar appellation of Jack Tar. (Martha
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Brea Village and river are in Trelawny.); Bog Walk is supposed to be the Spanish

Boca de Agua, for which there is no early authority; the old English name was

Sixteen Mile Walk and the Walk of Bog Walk must have been suggested by the

older Spanish name which may have been bogua and the same name as Bogue.

Porus – is probably called after some well sunk there, or from the porus nature of

the soul "pitted with holes". El Caovana – Black River, meaning the Mahogany

River.

Food with Spanish Influence

The Spanish were responsible for importing many of the plants for which Jamaica is

now known, such as sugar cane, lemons, limes, and coconuts trees and fruits such as

the Seville and Valencia oranges, lime, lemon, tamarind, ginger, pomegranate, date

palm, plantain, coconuts, grapes, figs, sugar and bananas. Our famous escoveitched

fish and bammies are from a combination of two cultures, escoveitched fish from

the Spaniards and bammy from the Tainos. The Spaniards also left with us hot

country style chocolate made from roasted ground, spiced cocoa beans, gizzadas

and the soaking of fruits in wine for Christmas pudding. They also imported pigs,

cattle, and goats. The Spanish turned to trading slaves from Africa's West Coast for

labor. The slaves brought with them ackee (a tropical tree with edible fruit, now the
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national fruit of Jamaica), okra, peanuts, and a variety of peas and beans, all

considered staples in the modern-day Jamaica.

As foreign sailors paid visit to the Caribbean from time to time, they left their mark in Caribbean food. It is
the Spaniards that the Caribbean has to thank for bringing a wide array of fruit trees like date palms, figs,
sugar cane, tamarinds, coconuts and grapes with them. Escovitch fish, a tangy delicacy is a unique dish of
Spanish origin. Portugal and Polynesia also played their part in Caribbean art of cooking by initiating the use
of codfish and breadfruit respectively. Corn, squash, potatoes and chilli peppers entered the Caribbean with
the Americans and soon became indispensable in Caribbean cuisine.

The cultural confluence in Caribbean cuisine has turned the Caribbean islands into a food lovers’ paradise. So
bring the taste of the world on plates with Caribbean foods and indulge in its divine flavours. Liya Das (TCC)