Spanish Jamaica
| Santiago | ||||||||||
| Spanish colony | ||||||||||
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| Capital | Villa de la Vega | |||||||||
| Languages | Spanish | |||||||||
| Political structure | Colony | |||||||||
| Governor | List of Governors of Santiago | |||||||||
| History | ||||||||||
| • | Established | 1509 | ||||||||
| • | Disestablished | 1655 | ||||||||
| Area | 10,991 km² (4,244 sq mi) | |||||||||
| Currency | Spanish dollar | |||||||||
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Santiago was a Spanish colony of the Spanish West Indies and within the Viceroyalty of New Spain, in the Caribbean region. Its location is the present-day island and nation of Jamaica.
Around 650 AD, Jamaica was colonized by the people of the Ostionoid culture, who likely came from South America. Alligator Pond in Manchester Parish and Little River in St. Ann Parish are among the earliest known sites of this Ostionoid people, who lived near the coast and extensively hunted turtles and fish.
Around 950 AD, the people of the Meillacan culture settled on both the coast and the interior of Jamaica, either absorbing the Ostionoid people or co-inhabiting the island with them.
The Taíno culture developed on Jamaica around 1200 AD. They brought from South America a system of raising yuca known as "conuco." To add nutrients to the soil, the Taíno burned local bushes and trees and heaped the ash into large mounds, into which they then planted yuca cuttings. Most Taíno lived in large circular buildings (bohios), constructed with wooden poles, woven straw, and palm leaves. The Taino spoke an Arawakan language and did not have writing. Some of the words used by them, such as barbacoa ("barbecue"), hamaca ("hammock"), kanoa ("canoe"), tabaco ("tobacco"), yuca, batata ("sweet potato"), and juracán ("hurricane"), have been incorporated into Spanish and English.
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