Santa Cruz de Barahona

Santa Cruz de Barahona (63,000 inhabitants according to 1993 census) is a city located south of the Dominican Republic in the province of Barahona in the Bay Neiba. It is one of the largest cities on the island, with a busy port and a wide range of ecotourism attractions. It is also a sugar and industrial center.

The name derives from two Barahona longitudinas, “rod” and “one”, and of Dominican haitian respectively. There is a different version that originated from the term “Bahia Honda”, and another character who had the surname of Barahona (Barahona Count).

History

Before its discovery, the Dominican Republic was a “nitainato” of Cacicazgo Jaragua (Taino Indian), governed by Bohechio, who was sitting where the Port-au-Prince sits today. The construction of the Valley of Barahona in the District of Neyba started under the command of General Toussaint Louverture in 1802.  During this time, it was a military post in the common Azua.

In 1907, the names territorial sea of cantons and districts was abolished and replaced by the words communes and provinces, respectively, while Barahona was promoted to this category the same year.  The revolutionary junta, known as “El Salvador” was founded by the radical Cuban Barahona in order to mobilize financial resources to support the emancipation and those who fulfilled their purpose were encouraged by the movement of independence from Spain in Cuba.

Even President Ulises Heureaux (Lilis) secretly provided money and arms to Cuban patriots, and continually pointed out that “Spain is my wife, my lover.” Cuba from the coast of Barahona was where all of the weapons were taken.
Between 1916 and 1924, the U.S. presence in the province affected the sowing of sugarcane and the construction of a farm.  In 1927, the first airline was operational in the West. The service was opened between the city of Barahona, Santa Cruz, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Santo Domingo and Port-au-Prince Haiti.
Geography and Climate

Barahona Province covers 1639.42 square kilometers and has a population of 179.239 inhabitants.  Located in the southwest part of the Dominican Republic. The province begins where “Punta Martin Garcia” is part of the “Valley of Neyba” and where the river Yaque del Sur overflows.  Southwest of Barahona is the Caribbean Sea.

Pedernales Province is located to its west, north is the Independence and the province of Azua is to the east.  The city of Barahona is located on the coast of the Caribbean Sea, 204km from the capital city of the Dominican Republic. The average annual temperature is 26 degrees Celsius, with an annual rainfall average of 655/2296mm.

Business

Currently, Barahona has a mixed economy combining agriculture, mining and tourism, with a port and an industrial free zone dedicated to textile production.  Among the most important companies in the area are: CEMEX Dominicana which operates a gypsum mine in milk production in Rica, the Central Conscorcio Sugar for sugar, EGE Haina for power production, with areas of Dominican Wilbis and open exchange “Khoury Block” which produces and exports construction materials.

Agriculture and production includes the production of sugarcane, bananas, coffee, fruit, sorghum, yam, mineral extraction, Marmara, gypsum, alabaster, kaolinite (for bottle production), construction, salt and mineral materials.  These are all the main activities of Barahona.

Architecture

The city has an interesting architectural heritage, represented by a series of vernacular style buildings, mainly in older urban areas. Among the buildings that represent Barahona, we can mention the “Arc de Triomphe” that gives a welcome to visitors and was built during the era of Trujillo. The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary, built in 1948 near the house of Curia.  The Town Hall is located opposite Central Park and was built in 1935.

It was awarded a tower with a clock, making it one of the icons of the city.
The old church, built in 1952, was the first church to be built, with beautiful architecture and beautiful landscaping. Guarocuya Hotel was built in 1959, during the era of Trujillo which began construction in 1918, while construction of the neighborhood known as “El Batey”, where you can still find the wooden homes people who worked in management, with roofs of two sides mounted on a battery, was also built.  Proper use of green areas should also be highlighted.
Art

The city of Barahona gave birth to two of the world’s most important stars of showbiz, Maria Montez, whose name was immortalized in the international airport of the city, and Casandra Damiron.  Cassandras Ortogas Reviews by the Association for the Arts recognizes the talent of the artists of the Dominican.

Maria Montez was an actress, born in 1912 under the name “Maria Africa Vidal Garcia”, reaching stardom in Hollywood and in European cinema. She married French actor Jean Pierre Increase, and gave birth to a girl named Tina Aumont. Maria Montez was an actress working in film and theater and also wrote poetry and songs.

She died in Paris in 1951.  The other star, Cassandra Damiron, born in 1919 began acting at age six in the theater “La Union” in Barahona.  In the forties, she began singing in the capital city at the station “La Voz del Yuna” and “La Voz Dominicana”. Casey made the “merengue” and Dominican music well known in Europe, the United States and other Latin American countries, accompanied by her group of dancers in folk songs.  She died in Santo Domingo in 1983.

In addition to artists in the entertainment world in Barahona, this city has an active community of artists, literary persons, as well as industries in plastic, larimar stones, metals, shells, natural fibers, etc.  The latter located primarily in Bahoruco and in the neighborhoods of the coast and in the center.
Food

The type of food in Barahona and on the southwest coast is accompanied with fish. This is due to its proximity to the Caribbean Sea, with a particularly rich variety of fish such as “charity” and “gold”, as much as shrimps and prawns.  A delicious meal is shrimp boiled in seasoned water or fried fish, accompanied with “tostones” (fried plantains). The restaurants in the city offer various meats, including goat casseroles.