Dominican Republic Site Seeing: History
Fuerte San Felipe
From the old Spanish Fort in Puerto Plata named Fuerte San Felipe to the more recent hints at industry, this part of the Dominican Republic comes across with a relaxed feel if not slightly depressed.
Fort History
Historically, the small fort, located on a small peninsula in Puerto Plata Bay, is not of great significance. But it is a reminder of the power of Spain, which ruled the entire Caribbean and Central American coastlines in the early American colonial times. The fort does have a moat, and a small museum. According to some Internet accounts, the fort was built by Columbus after his arrival in 1492. (He established the first Spanish colony in the New World at this spot.) However, the fort is actually an 18th-century stone fort built by the Spaniards using stones from nearby Maya pyramids. It was a defense against pirates and attacking Indians, though during the War of the Castes it was a Mayn stronghold.
War of the Castes
In this war, the Haitian leader (for France) was Commander Toussaint. For US aid from the US President John Adams, he agreed he would deny the French the use of Saint-Dominique (Santo Domingo, current capital of the Dominican Republic) as a base for operations in North America. Adams, the leader of a new and untested nation, found this to be desirable and dispatched arms and ships that aided the former African slaves in what is sometimes referred to as the War of the Castes.