In 1496, Columbus established the first permanent Spanish settlement on the island, Santo Domingo, which became the capital of the colony. The Spanish colonization of Hispaniola was marked by the exploitation of the island's natural resources, including gold and other precious minerals. The Spanish also brought enslaved Africans to the island to work on plantations.
Social and economic development.
: The conquest and eventual exterminion of the indigenous Taíno society (1492–1533). In 1496, Columbus established the first permanent Spanish
Historia de la República Dominicana / Filiberto Cruz Sánchez. and African cultures.
The emergence of a distinct identity between 1519 and 1580, influenced by the early sugar industry and the mix of European, Indigenous, and African cultures. In 1496, Columbus established the first permanent Spanish