264 COLUMBIAN HISTORICAL EXPOSITION AT MADRID. 



commercial center, near the banks of the lliver Carou. About 4 miles 

 beyond is the Santo Cerro, or Holy Hill, with a modern church, and a 

 mile or so farther the ruined city of Vega Vieja, or Old Vega, destroyed 

 by earthquake over three hundred years ago. Many minor antiquities 

 pertaining to the period of the conquest have been found there, and 

 are still unearthed. 



The city of Ooncepcion de la Vega, or Vega Vieja, as it is now called 

 by the natives, was completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1564. 

 It was at that time an important place, beautifully situated, and as all 

 the gold of the Cibao was brought there to be refined, previous to being 

 sent to Spain, it has been thought that a great deal of treasure has 

 been buried in the ruins. People have been digging for over three 

 hundred years, not only for treasure, but for the brick and stone as 

 building material. The old Spanish bricks are better than any now to 

 be obtained, and the cut stone is excellent. The consequence is that 

 the old city is nearly obliterated, only the fortress retaining any sem 

 blance of its original shape. 



At Santo Cerro, the holy hill of Santo Domingo, may be seen an 

 ancient tree, called by the natives the u Mspero de Colon,&quot; beneath 

 which, tradition states, Columbus stood while directing the operations 

 of his army against the Indians in 1494, when the great victory then 

 gained decided their fate forever. It is regarded as a sacred relic, and 

 beneath it mass was celebrated after the victory. A cross was set up 

 also by Columbus, upon which the Virgin (it is said) once descended, 

 and which was removed to the cathedral at Santo Domingo in 1514, 

 where it has been revered as a most sacred relic. 



On the summit of the hill is a handsome chapel, recently completed, 

 which contains a very old and revered image of the Virgin. The 

 chapel is near the site of the first cross erected here by Columbus, and 

 over a &quot;holy well,&quot; to which have been ascribed miraculous virtues. 

 In his will Columbus directed his son Diego, when his estates yielded a 

 sufficient revenue for the purpose, to erect a chapel on the sacred hill 

 of the &quot;Eoyal Plain &quot; of Santo Domingo, where masses might be said 

 daily for the repose of the souls of himself and his relatives. A church 

 was erected at this place shortly after, but it is not known that Diego 

 contributed anything toward the expense. 



The &quot; Holy Hill,&quot; or Santo Cerro, lies about 5 miles distant from 

 La Vega, which is reached by the Samana Enilroad from the Bay of 

 Sainan . It is a famous pi c e in the annals of the island, and seldom 

 can a Dominican be found who has not at some time seen it. The 

 village is composed of the priest s house and a single row of miserable 

 thatched huts, occupied by the people who make a living selling relics 

 and attending upon the church, which contains the revered image of 

 the Virgin. 



In May, 1494, on his second voyage, Columbus discovered the beau 

 tiful coast of Jamaica, anchoring in the spacious harbor of St. Anus 



