Spanish Town

History

The Spanish settlement of Villa de la Vega was founded by the Spanish in 1534 as the capital of the colony. Later, it was also called Santiago de la Vega or St. Jago de la Vega. Indigenous Taino had been living in the area for approximately a millennium before this, but this was the first European habitation on the south of the island. When the English conquered Jamaica in 1655, they renamed the settlement as Spanish Town in honour to the original Spanish root of this town. Since the town was badly damaged during the conquest, Port Royal took on many administrative roles and functioned as an unofficial capital during the beginning of English rule. By the time Port Royal was devastated by an earthquake in 1692, Spanish Town had been rebuilt and was again functioning as the capital. Spanish Town remained the capital until 1872, when the seat of the colony was moved to Kingston. Kingston had been founded in the aftermath of the 1692 earthquake. By 1755, serious rivalry from lobbyists caused increasing speculation about the continued suitability of Spanish Town as the capital. In 1836, Governor Lionel Smith observed that "the capital was in ruins, with no commercial, manufacturing and agricultural concern in operation." To worsen the situation, following the Morant Bay Rebellion of 1865, Sir John Peter Grant ordered the removal of the capital in 1872 to Kingston. As a larger port, it had come to be considered the natural capital of the island. After the seat of government was relocated, Spanish Town lost much of its economic and cultural vitality.

Most-observed species

• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,163
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,095
• White-winged Dove

  Zenaida asiatica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  901
• Cattle Egret

  Bubulcus ibis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  749
• Common Ground-Dove

  Columbina passerina (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  748
• Brown Pelican

  Pelecanus occidentalis Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  697
• Loggerhead Kingbird

  Tyrannus caudifasciatus Orbigny, 1839 · Aves
  682
• Smooth-billed Ani

  Crotophaga ani Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  645

Most recent

• M 4.3 — 2026-05-13
  9 km SW of Easington, Jamaica
• M 4.3 — 2026-04-17
  6 km SW of Easington, Jamaica
• M 3.8 — 2026-03-01
  3 km SE of Annotto Bay, Jamaica
• M 3.2 — 2026-01-28
  3 km SW of Mavis Bank, Jamaica
• M 4.5 — 2024-08-16
  7 km NNE of Stony Hill, Jamaica
• M 4 — 2024-06-18
  2 km S of Maggotty, Jamaica