Sociology 312: Culture and Society: La Zona Colonial

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Meredith Palmer said...: The Colonial Zone of Santo Domingo is home to one building that stuck out particularly to me. That was Cristopher Columbus´house.
It was in the first few days of my time here that the history of this island as Hispañola struck me. Our second day we walked around the Colonial Zone, saw old churches, identified the first ´road´, important fortress walls, and other parts of the city that is seeped in colonial history.
From my former travels in Central and South America, I have become accustomed to and almost comforted by the presence of Indigenous culture...even within the city centers. You may see it in clothing, hear it in language, taste it in food.
Here in the Dominican Republic I felt an absence, or perhaps a repression, of that peoples. As if their blood was not in the soil of these lands. As if their blood did not run still through the veins of many of the people of this island.
The only sign of anything remotely resembling an Indigenous or Taino culture during those first few days was a statue of a women paying homage to Christopher Columbus. It made my stomach turn.
Since then, however, I have had the chance to discuss that repression of culture with people who are more knowledgeable on the subject. There are various town that exist that still hold pieces of taino culture. It is held by those who know the plants, and by those who eat the patatas.; June 23, 2008 at 4:59 PM