WHOLE VOL. THE WEST INDIES VAZQUEZ DE ESPINOSA 4I 



Chapter II 



Of the City of Santo Domingo and the Circuit Court Located 

 There, and Its District. 



103. The city of Santo Domingo is the principal one on the island 

 of Hispaniola, and the whole island is named after it. It is the first 

 and the oldest of all the Indies. It was founded by Bartolome Colon, 

 brother of Christopher Columbus, Permanent Admiral of the Indies. 

 He called the city Santo Domingo because he founded it on Sunday, 

 feast day of the glorious Patriarch St. Dominick, and his father's 

 name was Domingo also, as is stated by Gomara, folio 48. With this 

 city there began the preaching of the Gospel over all that New 

 World. It was founded in the year 1494, 2 years after the discovery 

 of the island, on the banks of the Rio Ozama, at 19° N. Afterward 

 Commander Nicholas de Ovando, when he came to the island as 

 Governor in 1502, moved the site to where the city now stands, on 

 the banks of the same Rio Ozama at a sightly spot. It has a famous 

 harbor, for the river is deep, so that vessels, no matter how large, 

 can tie up alongside or with bow to the shore, and nothing more 

 than a gangway is needed to get on or ofif. After the discovery of 

 the island and the establishment of Santo Domingo, the first fleets 

 or small armadas which sailed from Seville with merchandise, Colum- 

 bus having died, were under the charge of Gen, Pedro de Cifontes, a 

 noble aristocrat of Seville. After making a number of voyages, he 

 died in Santo Domingo and is buried there ; and for his services the 

 Emperor graciously bestowed upon Hernando de Cifontes, his son, 

 the post of Paymaster of Santa Marta ; and it was from there that 

 he went as Captain in his career to Peru, against the usurper Fran- 

 cisco Hernandez Jiron, as will be told in due season. 



104. The city counts 600 Spanish residents, among them many 

 noblemen and people of distinction, with numerous merchants and 

 traders, since the city and harbor are frequented by ships from Spain 

 and other parts of the Indies, coming with merchandise in exchange 

 for the products of the country, abundant as a result of its fertility. 

 Quantities of sugar are produced in the numerous sugar miys over 

 the island ; they grow ginger, tobacco, balsam, cassia, brazilwood, 

 guaiacum, and other valuable products. They have countless stock 

 ranches, and every year the ships leave loaded with livestock as well 

 as with hides and other exports ; they could ship much more if boats 

 were sent for them, and the country would be better off for it. There 

 are in the island for the stock ranches and work on the other planta- 



