Where is Hispaniola located? Dominican Republic, Haiti Island: the most populous in the Americas. What will you remember about your vacation?

The island of Haiti is located between Cuba and Puerto Rico. It was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492, who named it "La Isla Hispaniola", which means "Spanish Island".
At the end of the 15th century, his brother Bartolomeo founded the colony of Nueva Isabella (the modern city of Santo Domingo) in the southern part. Gold was found in the east, and the poor western third became the possession of France. The French and Spanish colonies were separated by a 375 kilometer border. These colonies later became the Republic of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, respectively. Historically, the neighbors have not had the best relations. Haiti tried several times to conquer neighboring lands, but could not hold them.

By the end of the 17th century, Haiti had become the richest colony in the New World and surpassed North America in exports. Large-scale production of rum, coffee and sugar was established here.
Haiti Island and:

Today, Haiti is the most populous island in the Americas and the 22nd largest in the world. Its area is 76.5 thousand square meters. km, of which 48.4 thousand sq. km occupies the Dominican Republic. The island is known for frequent earthquakes, the last of which occurred in 2010.

The population of Haiti is about 20 million, of which 9.5 million are Dominicans.

The Dominican Republic is more successful than its neighbor. Many illegal immigrants from Haiti move here to work.

The island of Haiti has a humid tropical climate. About 50% of the area is occupied by wet forests, 20% by dry forests. The remaining parts are savannah and wetlands.

Among the animals and birds there are crocodiles, lizards, sea turtles, herons, flamingos and even a black centipede, which poses a great danger to human life. The stung person is paralyzed and rarely survives. However, tourists do not have to worry, since centipedes live far from populated areas, in the very depths of the island.

Haitian cuisine is dominated by beans, rice, meat, poultry, corn, fish, vegetables and fruits. Among the most popular dishes:

Rum is the national drink of the entire island, with the addition of which various cocktails and liqueurs are also made.

Haiti

The eastern part is occupied by the Dominican Republic, the island in the western part belongs to the Republic of Haiti - the poorest country in America. The average annual air temperature here is 25 degrees, the thermometer can drop to 15 degrees above zero.

The population of the republic often suffers from natural disasters, famine and coups d'etat. The 2010 earthquake killed more than 200 thousand people and caused a cholera epidemic to spread.

The terrible earthquake of 2010 killed 200,000 people.

Next to criminal Haiti is the Dominican Republic, an island of pleasures and paradise. This is where millions of tourists flock every year.

Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic Haiti is a unique place on earth, the beauty of its landscapes will not leave anyone indifferent. It is not for nothing that many couples choose it for their wedding. Photographs taken in the lap of pristine nature can satisfy even a true aesthete.

The exotic nature and richness of the animal world can be seen during numerous excursions that are organized for vacationers in the Dominican Republic. The best time to relax in this wonderful place, filled with an incredible atmosphere of silence and bliss, is from December to March. It is at this time that weather conditions are most optimal. However, the cost of travel packages is at its peak.

In other months it is also pleasant to fly to the Dominican Republic; beach holidays are available here all year round.

Despite the fact that the Dominican Republic is not the richest country in America, entire chains of fashionable hotels with their own tropical beaches are lined up along its long snow-white beaches. The territories of some are so large that they have to be moved around on special trains. Almost all of them have an all-inclusive system, which is especially convenient if you are traveling with children.

The largest city is Santo Domingo. It has many attractions:

• Cathedral of Santa Maria with the remains of Columbus
• San Francisco Temple
• Church of San Nicolas
• National Library
• Dominican Man Museum
• Modern Art Museum.

The island of Tintoreras is located next to the town of Puerto Villamil and is home to a wide variety of wildlife. Turquoise crystal clear waters and beaches surrounded by mangrove forests are home to a variety of animals, fish and amphibians.

On the way to and from the island you can see white sharks, marine iguanas, crabs, blue boobies, penguins, reef sharks, sea turtles and sea lions. The island is also one of the few places in the world where marine iguanas successfully reproduce. You can see them warming themselves on the shore, spitting out the salt that got in with the algae and playing. The island is a great place to get up close and personal with rare animals and take interesting pictures.

Isabella Island

Isabella Island. was named after the Queen of Spain. It is the largest island of the Galapagos Islands. The discoverer of the island was Christopher Columbus.

The island's area is about 4,640 square kilometers, its length is 100 kilometers, and its shape resembles that of a sea horse. At the moment, there are five young active volcanoes on the island, two of which are located on the Equator.

The island is very rich in its flora and fauna. This is an amazingly beautiful place! Marine iguanas, penguins, crabs, pelicans, Galapagos tortoises, gannets and other inhabitants live here. From the island you can watch the Galapagos whales, of which there are 16 species.

The local population of the island is only about 2,200 people. This area is the country's most important nature reserve because more than 60 percent of its flora and fauna species are concentrated here.

Santa Cruz Island

Santa Cruz is the second largest island of the Galapagos archipelago. It is home to the largest city of the archipelago, Puerto Ayora, and here you can find all the benefits of civilization. But the main attractions of the island, of course, are natural objects, of which there are many on the island, because almost its entire area is occupied by the Galapagos National Park.

There is an amazing place on Santa Cruz: located near Puerto Ayora, Tortuga Bay, which is a long beach with white sand, characterized by fairly strong waves. This is where surfers can practice their favorite sport, and swimmers can relax at the end of the beach, where there are no surfers. Here you can explore mangroves, watch mockingbirds, pelicans, marine iguanas, or swim with sharks.

In the southwest of the island there is Las Ninfas Bay with calm waters, surrounded by rocks in tropical greenery, the nearby Bellavista Tunnel is famous for being home to sea turtles, various species of fish, rays and sharks. In general, there are many places worthy of a detailed description on the island of Santa Cruz, but it is better to see them with your own eyes.

San Cristobal Island

San Cristobal is the easternmost of the Galapagos Islands. The center of the island is the city of the same name, where one of the two main airports in the region is located, so many tourists begin their journey from here.

The island has all the conditions for tourism - developed infrastructure with many hotels, restaurants, shops and access to transport. The island also has many attractions, the main ones being various beaches and tourist centers. The island is home to various animals and birds - sea lions, elephant turtles, various types of gannets, iguanas, and seagulls live here. Dolphins, sharks, stingrays, lobsters and others live in the waters surrounding the island. Tourists will also be pleased with the variety of fruits that grow on the island - oranges, bananas, pineapples, lemons and other plants.

North Seymour Island

North Seymour is one of the islands of the Galapagos archipelago; it is not large at all and is a favorite nesting site for seabirds: frigatebirds, gannets and gulls. Of course, the islands are also home to traditional Galapagos sea lions, iguanas and fur seals, which are not disturbed even by strong waves beating against the picturesque rocky shores.

The cliffs, by the way, often give way to white sandy beaches filled with flocks of Galapagos penguins, huddling together and making massive jumps into the water in search of food. Such unusual swims annually attract crowds of tourists who film the amazing spectacle, but, of course, from a respectful distance, so as not to interfere with the fragile natural ecosystem.

The island is surrounded by a 2 km long road, passing through a place considered to be the largest nesting point for frigate birds. By the way, local birds are practically not afraid of people. However, tourists there walk exclusively along special paths, accompanied by guides, but sometimes the birds themselves come out onto these paths and stop at arm’s length.

Chinese Hat Island

The island got its name - “Chinese Hat” for a reason. It is connected with its unusual shape, which looks very similar to the inverted traditional Panama hat, customary to wear in the provinces of China. But you can only see the “headdress” if you look from the northern side of the island.

Geologically, the “Chinese Hat” was formed relatively recently, as a result of the activity of numerous active volcanoes in the archipelago. It is located in the southeast of the island of Santiago.

On the island's beaches you can get a great tan, enjoy swimming and scuba diving. From the shore of the “Chinese Hat” the neighboring island is clearly visible. Santiago, with its beautiful volcanic landscape, and Galapagos penguins frolicking in the coastal waters.

Plaza Sur Island

The island of Plaza Sur is part of the Galapagos Islands and belongs to Ecuador. It is even named after the former president of Ecuador, Leonidas Plaza. In fact, this island is one of the natural reserves and is open to tourists.

The island's colorful, unusual and truly beautiful flora consists mainly of prickly pears (a type of cactus) and sesuvium (a beautiful plant with almond-shaped leaves). The most amazing thing is that during the rainy season the leaves of the sesuvium turn red and the landscape of the island becomes absolutely fantastic.

Among the fauna on the island, land iguanas deserve special attention; there are many of them here. It must be said that the local species are larger in size than those living in other places. Various birds nest on the shores of the island, such as red-billed phaetons and rare species of gulls; marine iguanas, sea lions, large turtles and sharks are found in the water.

This island is simply the perfect place for scuba diving because the underwater landscapes, with a backdrop of teeming marine life, are incredibly picturesque.

Genovesa Island

Genovesa Island is the northeasternmost island of the Galapagos archipelago and covers an area of ​​only 14 square kilometers. The island has no permanent residents or tourist structures, making it a prime location for wildlife viewing.

Most of the inhabitants of the island are birds, including entire colonies of seagulls and phaetons. There are also different types of gannets, owls, frigate birds and others. In addition, on the island you can find sea lions, fur seals and iguanas. Diving activities are also available. Another attraction of the island is the road to the top of the mountain, which is called "Prince Philip's Steps".

Galapagos Islands

The Pacific Galapagos Islands, belonging to the Republic of Ecuador, are also called the Turtle Islands, because in Spanish “turtles” are “galapagos”. It is not surprising that this particular animal has become a symbol of the archipelago, because a large number of giant sea turtles live here. But, of course, turtles are not the only pride of the islands. It is home to many plants and animals that cannot be found anywhere else, such as the marine iguana, endemic species of seals or the Galapagos fur seal.

Such a rich natural heritage cannot be left unprotected, because most rare animals today are close to extinction. Galapagos National Park includes almost all the islands of the archipelago. The islands are diverse: some are covered with dense tropical vegetation, while others have a deserted “moon” landscape.

The Galapagos Islands are amazing, and wildlife lovers enjoy visiting these places to spot rare creatures and enjoy the wonderful views.

Hispaniola Island

The island of Hispaniola is also known as Hood. Hispaniola was named after Spain. The island's area is about 60 square kilometers and its maximum height is 206 meters above sea level.

The age of the island is estimated at 3 and a half million years. This is the oldest and southernmost island of the entire archipelago. From a geographical point of view, it represents the most classic example of a shield volcano, which was formed by a single caldera in the center of the island. Over time, the island shifted away from the hot spot, then the volcano died out, and erosion began.

The island's remoteness from the main group of islands has contributed to the development of a large number of endemic inhabitants that are adapted exclusively to local natural resources.

The Galapagos albatross, a rare bird species, lives here. The steep and inaccessible cliffs of the island are ideal for the flight of these large birds. Hooded mockingbirds, bronze fearless birds, are also endemic to the island.

In addition, visitors to the island can meet brightly colored marine iguanas, gulls, lizards, gannets and finches. And large, spacious bays attract large numbers of sea lions.

Bartolome Island

Bartolome Island is a small island of volcanic origin, with an area of ​​only 1.2 square kilometers. Despite the island's small size, it offers some of the most beautiful scenery in the region. Visitors can also see various animals and relax on the beautiful beaches.

The island consists of two parts, in one of which tourists can climb the Pinnacle Peak, which is the most famous and popular place on the island and view the landscapes of the island from the top. In another part of the island, tourists can go scuba diving alongside sea lions, penguins and other underwater creatures. You can also observe rare green turtles that nest on the island.

Floreana Island

Floreana is an island in the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean. The island is also known as Santa Maria or Charles Island. It is the sixth largest island of the Galapagos Archipelago. Its area is about 173 square kilometers.

Floreana Island was named after the first president of Ecuador, Juan José Flores, under whose rule the Galapagos Islands came under the jurisdiction of Ecuador. Before that, the island was called Santa Maria in honor of one of Christopher Columbus's caravels.

The main attraction of the island is the unusually beautiful pink flamingos that have chosen the lagoon at Cape Punta Cormorant. Here you can find a beach where large sea turtles lay their eggs.

At Cape Punta Cormorant, tourists will find black sandy shores, which, thanks to inclusions of the mineral peridot, shimmer with green crystals. These inclusions indicate strong volcanic eruptions.

Santa Fe Island

Santa Fe Island is located in the middle of the Galapagos archipelago and has an area of ​​24 square kilometers. Tourists are attracted by one of the most beautiful bays on the islands and the diversity of flora and fauna.

The island's bay is its main attraction, protected from winds and storms and attractive with its clear turquoise waters. Tourists can also see various animals living on the island and in its waters - sea lions, turtles, stingrays, iguanas and many others. Walks away from the coastline will also be interesting, where you will have the opportunity to look at various types of cacti and other exotic plants.

Fernandina Island

Fernandina Island of the Galapagos archipelago is located in the waters of the Pacific Ocean and was named after the King of Spain, who supported the great discoverer Columbus in his expedition.

In the very center of the island there is an active volcano, La Cumbre, and therefore traveling around Fernandina poses some threat to tourists. There you can also see a depression formed as a result of the collapse of the volcano’s peak, at the bottom of which a volcanic lake shimmers with all the colors of the rainbow. Tourists are not allowed here, so you have to be content with walks along the coast, admiring the endless expanses of the Pacific Ocean.

La Española is the 22nd largest island in the world, located in the Caribbean, among the Greater Antilles group of islands. It is the second largest island in the Caribbean after Cuba, and the tenth most populous island in the world.

Two sovereign states share the islands. The Dominican Republic is almost twice the size of its neighbor Haiti, which comprises 27,750 km 2 (10,710 sq mi).
Hispaniola (Española; Hispaniola) is the site of the first European settlements in the Americas, founded by Christopher Columbus in 1492 and 1493. The history of colonization of the New World began from here.
When Columbus took possession of the island in 1492, he named it Insula Hispana, meaning "island of the Spanish" in Latin. La Isla Hispaniola, also means "the island of Spain", in Spanish. Bartolomé de las Casas shortened the name to "Hispaniola".

The name Haití was given by the Haitian revolutionary Dessalines in 1804, as a tribute to its Indian predecessors.

Today, the island of Haiti (Hispaniola) is two independent states:

• Republic of Haiti with its capital Port-au-Prince
• Dominican Republic with its capital Santo Domingo

"Hispaniola" has become the most commonly used term in English-speaking countries and in scientific cartographic works.

Geography of the island of Hispaniola

• The island of Cuba is 80 km (50 mi) northwest of Hispaniola, across the Windward Strait
• Jamaica to the southwest, separated by the Jamaica Canal
• Puerto Rico is located east of Hispaniola across the Mona Strait (Passage Mona).
• The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands are located to the north.

Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica and Puerto Rico are collectively known as the Greater Antilles.

The island has four different ecoregions:

• The ecoregion's rainforests cover about 50% of the island's territory, ranging from lowlands to 2,100 meters (6,900 ft) altitudes.
• Hispaniolan dry forests occupy approximately 20% of the territory - they lie in the mountain zone, the so-called rain shadow, in the southern and western part of the island, and in the Cibao Valley - in the central northern part of the island.
• Hispaniola's pine forests occupy 15% of the island's mountainous part, above 850 meters (2,790 feet) in altitude.
• Grasslands and savannas, an ecoregion in the south-central part of the island, are flooded. This is a chain of lakes and lagoons, the most significant of which are Lake Azuei, Lake Trou Caiman (Haiti) and Lake Enriquillo (Dominican Republic).

The island has five main mountain ranges:
The Cordillera range covers the central part of the island, stretching from the southern coast of the Dominican Republic to the northwestern part of Haiti, where it is known as the Massif du Nord. This mountain range has the highest peak in the Antilles, Pico Duarte at 3,087 meters (10,128 ft) above sea level.
The Cordillera Central separates the lowland Cibao Valley from the Atlantic Coastal Plains.
The Sierra de Neibe rises and runs parallel to the Cordillera, like Montagnes Noires, Chaîne de Matheux and Montagnes du Trou d'Eau.
The Central Plateau opens west to Gonave, the largest bay of the Antilles.
The Sierra de Baoruco, extends as the Massif de la Zelle and the Massif de la Hotte, forming the southern ridge of the Haitian peninsula. Pic de la Sel is the highest point in Haiti, 2,680 meters (8,790 ft) above sea level.

Due to its mountainous topography, the climate on Hispaniola shows a range of striking differences, changing dramatically over the shortest distances.

The vegetation is predominantly tropical. But we mean that there are also mountainous regions and desert zones with their corresponding vegetation.

Hispaniola is part of the Greater Antilles group of islands. Together with the Bahamas and the Lesser Antilles, they are known to the geographical world as the West Indies, and are considered part of Latin America.
The island of Hispaniola itself administratively owns some of the smaller islands along the coast of Latin America:

• So Haiti owns the famous pirate island - Tortuga, as well as the islands of Vash and Gonave
• The Dominican Republic owns the islands of Caia Levantada, Saona, Beata

Description and location

The island of Espanola is also known as Hood. The island was named Hispaniola in honor of Spain.

The area of ​​the island is 60 sq. km, the maximum height is 206 m above sea level. The journey from Santa Cruz Island to Hispaniola takes about 10-12 hours.

This is the oldest island of the archipelago, its age is estimated at 3.5 million years. It is also the southernmost island. Geographically, it is a classic example of a shield volcano, formed by a single caldera in the center of the island. Over time, the island shifted away from the hot spot, the volcano died out and erosion began.

Nature

The island's remoteness from the rest of the group contributes to the high number of endemics on the island and adaptation to the island's natural resources. Iguanas on Hispaniola appear only during the mating season, at which time their reddish hue becomes more green.

The flapping (Galapagos) albatross (Phoebastria irrorata), a rare bird species, lives here. The island's steep cliffs provide a perfect landing spot for these large birds, which feed off the coasts of Ecuador and Peru. The hooded mockingbird is also one of the island's endemics. These bronze birds are not at all afraid of people and often perch on the heads and shoulders of tourists in search of food.

Visitors can also encounter brightly colored marine iguanas, lizards, gulls, gannets, Galapagos hawks and finches. And large bays with sand and small pebbles attract large numbers of sea lions.

Interesting places

Hispaniola has two visitor sites: Gardner Bay and Punta Suarez.

Gardner Bay is located in the northeastern part of the island and offers a delightful, long, white sandy beach where colonies of sea lions lazily bask in the sun, sea turtles come ashore and curious mockingbirds scurry about. The beach is considered an open area that you can explore freely. has a good beach and places for swimming and diving.

Gardner Bay is a fantastic place for snorkeling. This may be your only chance to swim with sea lions, don't miss it. Closer to Turtle Rock and the Gardner Islands there are large colonies of colorful tropical fish such as yellowtail surgeonfish, king angelfish, and parrotfish. A manta ray glides through the waters and whitetip sharks doze at the bottom.

Punta Suarez is located in the western part of Hispaniola. The Punta Suarez area offers wildlife viewing with a wide variety of local fauna. These include sea lions, seabirds, large marine iguanas and colorful lava lizards.

Excursions and attractions

• Gardner Bay

Resort oriented on: adults.

Resort specifics: natural-cognitive.

The island of Hispaniola, one of the most famous resorts in the world, is very popular among tourists. A variety of recreational activities and excursion programs are one of the main components of modern recreation. Like most resorts in the world, Hispaniola Island can provide different levels of relaxation at a variety of prices. This resort has both luxury hotels and budget hotels.

If you are tormented by the question “Where to relax?”, “Where to spend your vacation?” Then perhaps Hispaniola Island will be the perfect holiday destination.

Bartolome de Las Casas::: The shortest message about the ruin of the Indies

A SHORT MESSAGE ON THE RUIN OF INDIA

India were discovered in one thousand four hundred and ninety-two. The following year some of the Christian Spaniards went to settle [in them], so that for forty-nine years there have been a certain number of Spaniards in them; the first land they arrived in to settle was the large and most fertile island of Hispaniola, six hundred leagues in circumference. There are other very large and innumerable islands around, on all sides of it, and they were all, and we saw them densely populated and full of native peoples, the Indians there, so that it was perhaps the most populated land in the world. The mainland, which is closest to this island, two hundred and fifty leagues or a little more, has more than ten thousand leagues of already open sea coast, and every day more are opened, and everything is like a hive full of people there, which was discovered before the year forty-one, so that it seems as if the Lord placed in those lands the entire multitude or most of the entire human race.

The Lord created all these together and countless people of every kind the most simple, without malice and duplicity, the most submissive and faithful to their natural rulers and the Christians whom they serve, the most humble, the most patient, the most peaceful and calm, without discord and rebellion, not quarrelsome , not irritable, without rancor, without hatred, without vindictiveness, which only exists in the world. And at the same time they are the most fragile, weak and delicate in constitution, and those who are least able to endure labor, and who die most easily from any disease, so that the sons of princes and lords among us, raised among pleasures and pampering life, are not more fragile than they, even if they were from a family of workers.

They are at the same time the poorest people, who do not have and do not want to have transitory blessings, and therefore are not arrogant, not vain and not greedy. Their food is such that the meal of the holy desert fathers, it seems, was no more meager, no less tasty, no poorer. They dress in such a way that they usually walk naked, covering their private parts, and at most they are covered with a cotton cloak, which will be a rectangular piece of fabric one and a half or two varas. Their bed is a mat, and moreover, they sleep in some kind of suspended nets, which in the language of the island of Hispaniola are called hamakas [ hamacas].

And the same [concerns] their pure, and unprejudiced, and living mind, very capable and pliable to every good teaching, most suitable for the perception of our holy Catholic faith and for being endowed with virtuous customs; and they are the ones who have the least obstacles to this of all whom the Lord has created in this world. And they have been so persistent since they once began to receive information about matters of faith, in finding out about them, and in administering the sacraments of the Church and worship, that, I say, truly the clergy had the need, in order to endure them, to be endowed by the Lord with the gift outstanding patience; and finally, I have heard many lay Spaniards say for many years and many times, without being able to deny the goodness that was seen in them: “These people would certainly be the most blessed in the world, if only they knew the Lord.”

And to these gentle sheep, endowed by their Creator and Creator with the above-mentioned qualities, the Spaniards rushed in, from the moment they learned about them, like the cruelest wolves, and tigers, and lions, hungry for many days. And nothing else was done for forty years in these parts, until today, and today, on this day, they are doing it, except to exterminate them, kill them, oppress them, oppress them, torture them and destroy them with sophisticated, and new, and varied, and never more seen, never read, nor heard of forms of cruelty, of which some few will be spoken of below, to such an extent that, if on the island of Hispaniola there were more than three million souls that we saw, today there are none of it natives and two hundred people. The island of Cuba is almost the same length as from Valladolid to Rome; today it is almost completely deserted. The island of Sant Juan and Hamaica, islands very large, and very fertile, and beautiful, are both devastated. In the islands of Lucayos, neighboring Hispaniola and Cuba to the north, of which there are more than sixty, together with those called the Islands of the Giants, and other large and small islands, and of these the worst is more fertile and beautiful than the royal garden at Seville, and where there were more fifty thousand souls, there is not a single creature today. They were all killed while being transported, or in order to be transported, to the island of Hispaniola, after they saw that its natives had disappeared. When they followed the ship for three years in order to find people on them who would remain after they were killed, since one good Christian was moved by mercy towards those who were there, in order to convert them and deliver them to Christ, they found only eleven people I saw. The other more than thirty islands in the vicinity of the island of Sant Juan are for the same reason deserted and lost. There will be land on all these islands for more than two thousand leagues, which are all deserted and deserted.

Regarding the large continent, we are sure that our Spaniards, with their cruelties and vile deeds, devastated and destroyed, and today they are deserted, but were full of reasonable people, more than ten kingdoms, larger than all of Spain, including Aragon and Portugal, and a land twice longer than from Seville to Jerusalem, which is more than two thousand leagues.

And we give as a very reliable estimate that during these said forty years, due to the said tyrannies and infernal acts of Christians, more than twelve million souls, men, women and children, perished, unjustly and tyrannically; but in fact, as I believe, and I think I am not deceived, there are more than fifteen million of them.

Those who arrived there and called themselves Christians had two generally accepted and main methods in order to uproot and wipe out these unfortunate nations from the face of the earth. One - unjust, cruel, bloody and tyrannical wars. The second, after they killed everyone who could thirst, or sigh, or think about freedom, or about getting rid of the torments they endured, and such were all the local natural rulers and mature men (because, as a general rule, in wars the living only teenagers and women were left) - to turn them into the most severe, terrifying and difficult slavery, which neither people nor animals could ever be subjected to. And these two methods of hellish tyranny were limited to, and all the other many and varied manners of extermination of these peoples, which cannot be counted, were reduced to them or were their varieties.

The reason why the Christians ruined and destroyed so many and such and such countless human souls was, in the end, only to have gold, and fill themselves with riches in the shortest time, and rise to the highest position, disproportionate to their personalities (which is worth knowing): because of the insatiable greed and vanity that they had, and which was greater than could have been in the whole world, because these lands were so fertile and so rich, and people were so humble, so patient and so easy to conquer, and for whom they had no more respect, and no more valued and considered no more (I’m telling the truth, for I know and saw it), I won’t say, than animals (for I pray to God that they will be treated and treated like animals), but like, and even less than, dung in the squares. This is how they took care of their lives and their souls, and for this reason all the hundreds of thousands and millions mentioned died outside the faith and without the sacraments. And this is a well-known and attested truth, which everyone, even tyrants and murderers, knows and admits, that the Indians in all India never caused any harm to Christians, but considered them strangers from heaven, until first they themselves or their neighbors experienced it many times. , many atrocities, robberies, murders, violence and insults.

ABOUT THE ISLAND OF ESPAÑOLA

Group hanging of Indians on Hispaniola. Engraving by Jodocus van Winge from the book “Narratio regionum indicarum per hispanos qvosdam devastatarum verissima”, 1598.

The island of Hispaniola was the first, as we have said, where the Christians came and began the great extermination and destruction of these peoples, and which was the first to be ravaged and devastated; and when the Christians began to seize the women and children of the Indians to serve them or for base purposes, and to devour their food, which they obtained with their sweat and labor, not being content with what the Indians gave them of their own free will in accordance with the capabilities that each had (which always turned out to be little, because they did not have the custom of having more than what was daily necessary, and was obtained with little labor, and what was enough for three houses with ten people in each for a month, one Christian ate and destroyed for day), and many other violences, and oppressions, and insults were inflicted on them, the Indians began to understand that these people were not supposed to be strangers from heaven, and some hid their food, others their women and children, others fled into the forests to be away from people whose communication turned out to be so cruel and terrible. The Christians beat them with kicks, fists, and sticks, until their hands reached the rulers of the villages. And it got to such impudence and shamelessness that the chief king, lord of the entire island, had one Christian captain rape his own wife.

Since then, the Indians began to look for ways to expel Christians from their lands: they took up weapons, which were very weak, and were little suitable for attack and resistance, and even less for defense (which is why all their wars were not something more than the local game with sticks and even children’s); Christians with their horses, swords, and spears began to inflict massacres and sophisticated cruelties against them. They burst into the villages, and there was no one young or old, no pregnant woman, no mother in labor whose bellies were not ripped open and who were not cut into pieces, as if they were pouncing on lambs caught in their pens. They bet on who would cut a man in half with one blow, or cut off his head at one time, or disembowel him. They tore babies from their mothers' breasts by their legs and hit their heads on a stone. Others were driven into the river with swords with laughter and jokes, and when they sank into the water, they said: “Gurgle, so-and-so’s body”; other babies were impaled on swords along with their mothers, all of them, no matter how many of them were found in front of them. They built long gallows so that their feet almost touched the ground, and thirteen people each, as a sign of honor and respect for Our Redeemer and the twelve apostles, placing brushwood and fire under them, burned them alive. Others were tied up and tied with dry grass all over their bodies and, having set them on fire, were burned in this way. Others, and everyone they wanted to keep alive, had both their hands cut off, and they carried them hanging, and told them: “Go with the letters.” It meant go and deliver news to the people who had fled into the woods. Rulers and nobles were usually killed in this way: they made bars from rods on slingshot posts, and tied them to them, and placed a weak fire below, so that little by little, uttering cries from this torment, despairing, they gave up the ghost.

Once I saw that when four or five noble [Indians] and rulers were burned on a grate (and even, I think, there were two or three pairs of such grates on which others were burned), because they shouted very loudly, something whether it bothered the captain or prevented him from sleeping, he ordered them to be strangled, and alguacil, who turned out to be worse than the executioner who burned them (I know his name, and even met his relatives in Seville), did not wanted to strangle them, but with his own hands he stuffed a piece of wood into each of their mouths so that they would not make noise, and began to fan the fire under them until they were slowly roasted, as he wanted. I have seen all of the above and countless more. And since all the people who could escape hid in the forests and climbed into the mountains, fleeing from people so inhuman, so unmerciful, and such cruel beasts, destroyers and sworn enemies of the human race, they taught and trained greyhounds, the fiercest dogs, so that, When they saw an Indian, they instantly tore him to pieces, or better yet, pounced on him and devoured him, as if he were a pig. These dogs caused great disasters and carnage. And since sometimes, occasionally and in small numbers, the Indians killed some Christians for just cause and holy justice, they established a law among themselves that for every Christian who was killed by the Indians, the Christians should kill a hundred Indians.

From these words it follows that the beginning of the “Shortest Message” was written in 1541.

1 vara = 83.6 cm.

Modern researchers estimate the population of Hispaniola on the eve of the arrival of Europeans from approximately 400 thousand (Frank Moya Pons) to 1.1 million (Rudolph Zambardino) people (Denevan, William M. Native American Populations in 1492: Recent Researches and revised Hemispheric Estimate // The Native Population of the Americas in 1492. Second Edition / Ed. by William M. Denevan. Madison, WI, The University of Wisconsin Press 1992. Pp.xxiii-xxiv).

Puerto Rico and Jamaica.

Modern Bahamas.

Modern Turks and Caicos Islands.

Las Casas' estimates of Native American losses are generally considered to be exaggerated. However, according to the data accepted by most researchers, on the eve of the Conquista, in 1519, the population of Mexico without Yucatan was 10 -14 million people (the figure of 11 million people in 1948 was proposed by Sherborne Cook and Woodrow Borah, Rudolf Zambardino in 1981 justified the figure of 6 - 10 million, Thomas Whitmore in 1991 came to a figure of about 14 million people; see: Denevan, William M. Native American Populations in 1492. Pp.xxi-xxii). By 1548 it had fallen to 3.6 million, and by 1568 to 2.65 million (Cook, Sherburne Friend and Woodrow Wilson Borah. Essays in Population History: Mexico and the Caribbean, Vol. 1. Berkeley - Los Angeles - London, University of California Press, 1971. P.82, tab. VIII; Zambardino, Rudolf. Institute of Mathematics and Its Application. V.17, n.23 (1981). -240). The population of the Inca Empire of Tawantinsuyu by 1532, according to various estimates, was 8 - 15 million people (the lower figure is indicated by K. Smith - Smith, C.T. Depopulation of the Central Andes in the 16th Century // Current Anthropology. 1980. V.11, No. 4/5. P. 460, top - S.I. Semenov. Historical essay. Latin America. Volume 2. Moscow, Soviet Encyclopedia. Stb. 982. . Berezkin considers an acceptable figure of 9 - 12 million people; Berezkin Y.E. Inki. Historical experience of the empire, Science, 1991. pp. 78, 194, Nathan Wachtel - 10 - 11.2 million, Noble David Cook. – up to 12.8 million; see: Denevan, William M. Native American Populations in 1492. Pp. xxiv-xxv). In 1571, the Indians of the Andes and the Pacific coast of Peru numbered 311.3 thousand tax payers. Based on the fact that there were an average of 4 family members per payer, the Indian population of this region can be estimated at 1.56 million people (Smith, C.T. Depopulation of the Central Andes ... P.453); Considering that the population of Peru (without the Amazon) relates to the population of the territory of the entire Tawantinsuyu approximately as 1: 1.51, we have the total Indian population of the Andean region at that time of approximately 2.35 million people. If we assume that the decrease in the Indian population in the Andes in 1432 - 1572. occurred more or less evenly, then in 1532 - 1548 it will amount to 3.1 - 5.1 million people. Thus, depopulation in only the two most developed and populated regions of the New World by 1548 was: for Mesoamerica - 6.4 - 8.4 million people, for the Andean region - 3.1 - 5.1 million people, to to which should be added about 500 thousand more Indians of the Antilles, by that time almost completely exterminated, that is, only 10 - 12 million. Human. If we take the period before 1570, the losses of the Indian population will be: in Mesoamerica - 7.35 - 9.35 million, in the Andes and adjacent areas - 7.65 - 9.65 million, in total (including the Antilles) – 15.55 - 19.55 million people. The frightening figures of Las Casas turn out to be not an exaggeration at all, but a very correct forecast. F. Braudel writes in this regard: “... With the European conquest, America experienced a colossal biological collapse, perhaps not reducing the number of its inhabitants by 10 times, but undoubtedly huge and incomparable with the Black Death and the accompanying catastrophes in Europe in terrible XIV century." (Braudel, Fernand. Material civilization, economics and capitalism, XV - XVIII centuries. Volume I. Structures of everyday life: possible and impossible. Moscow, Progress, 1986. P. 47).

The Taino revolt on Hispaniola began in 1502 and was largely suppressed by 1505.

The Spanish word "espada" means both "sword", "epee" and "rapier". Historians of weapons indicate that in the first half of the 16th century. (i.e., during the Conquest period), the newly appeared rapiers were used mainly as ceremonial weapons, and swords were still used in battle: ordinary, with a blade length of 80-90 cm, and two-handed, 1.4 - 1 long .7 meters (Paul, John, Robinson Charles M. Aztecs and conquistadors. M., Eksmo, 2009. pp.46-49).

This was boasted, in particular, by a certain Alejo Gomez, “who had extensive experience in exterminating the Indians” (Las Casas, Bartolome de. History of the Indies. P.93).

One of the main organizers of the genocide of the Indian population of Hispaniola was the Spanish governor Nicolás de Ovando y Cáceres, commander of the Order of Alcántara in Lares, then the great commander of the Order of Alcántara (1460-1511), who ruled Hispaniola from 1502 to 1509.

According to the “History of the Indies” this happened in the province of Higuey in 1504 (Las Casas, Bartolomé de. History of the Indies. P.98).

This was Juan de Esquivel (c. 1570 - c. 1514), a Sevillian, participant in Columbus's expeditions, to whom Governor Ovando entrusted the suppression of the Indian uprising in the Higuey region.