The Historical Spanish Town

The other city we visited was Spanish Town. Spanish Town is the second largest city in Jamaica, moreover it is also the former capital of Jamaica. It is located in the St. Catherine parish, in the southeast of Jamaica. The town has one of the oldest Anglican Churches outside England. The population of the city is over 140 000. The Olympic winning sprinter Asafa Powell is from Spanish Town.

The Cathedral of St. Jago de la Vega is the one of the oldest Anglican churches abroad from England. It has a rich history with being a place to grow spirituality and being important for official governmental duties and procedures. It is architecturally magnificent, particularly the Gothic style windows. Inside the Cathedral there are many memorials and monuments. You can get a guided tour, the cost is a donation to the Cathedral.

One of Jamaica's National museums, the People's Museum of Craft & Technology. There we learnt about the cultural history of Jamaica. You can see how the architecture is characteristic to the Spanish architecture style. The museum showcases crafts and other creative machines of Jamaicans. Hirya and me especially loved going there and learning about this part of the history.

Next up is House of Assembly. It was built in 1762 and was used to hold meetings for the responsible government of Jamaica under the colonization. The place is great to visit to learn about how things got discussed in the 18th and 19th century. Today the house is used for the St. Catherine parish councils office.

Nearby the house of assembly is Rodney’s memorial. The memorial is to honour Admiral Lord Rodney, who saved Jamaica from an almost certain French invasion in 1782. Lord Rodney is supposedly designed to look like a Roman Emperor. The English sculptor John Bacon designed the memorial on a commission from the Jamaican government.

Spanish Town was perfect for learning about the history of Jamaica. It is truly an exciting experience for those who are interested in history.

Sources:

• https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147316-d8116520-Reviews-St_Jago_De_La_Vega_Cathedral-Spanish_Town_Saint_Catherine_Parish_Jamaica.html
• http://www.anglicandioceseja.org/?event-venue=st-james-cathedral-the-cathedral-of-st-jago-de-la-vega
• https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147316-d151443-Reviews-People_s_Museum_of_Craft_Technology-Spanish_Town_Saint_Catherine_Parish_Jamaica.html
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Assembly
• http://www.visitjamaica.com/spanish-town-heritage-walking-tour
• http://www.jamaicatravelandculture.com/destinations/st_catherine/spanish-town/house-of-assembly.htm
• http://www.jnht.com/tours_spanish_town.php
• http://www.visitjamaica.com/spanish-town-heritage-walking-tour
• http://pripsjamaica.com/sites/default/files/images/places/cathedral_st._jago_de_la_vega_kn_pl_spanisht168.jpg
• https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/Rodney_monument.jpg

All accessed 11.12.2016 and 12.12.2016.
Written by Hedda Lunde.