Important aspects of the seventeenth century Spanish Caribbean

Important aspects of the seventeenth century Spanish Caribbean.
The Spanish Caribbean is a region that is thought to have included the Antilles in the Caribbean Sea, the French Guiana and the Central American country known as Belize. Some geographers have argued that this area, The Caribbean, stretches from the South Coast of the United States of America all the way to the Northern coast of the same South America. It is argued that this section consisted of Jamaican islands, Trinidad and Tobago and other islands which were near the mountains and formed Antigua, Virgin, Barbados ad Grenada Islands. It is also believed to have had small communities whose inhabitants were from different ethnic groups and had diverse cultures. The inhabitants practiced hunting and gathering. The people of those communities spoke French, Spanish and Dutch. When we read history the name Spanish Caribbean is drawn from their colonization by the Spanish people from the late sixteenth century to the late seventeenth who majorly settled in the larger Islands. Thus, the Spanish Caribbean was the section which was influenced majorly by the Spaniards regarding religion, cuisines and other aspects of their culture. There are so many issues that are uniquely identified with the Caribbean. However, this paper will majorly concentrate on only the important aspects of the seventeenth century Spanish Caribbean from the readings informed by my own analysis.
From reading the books and the descriptions one of the issues that I find intriguing is the fact that the Spanish Caribbean have always been known for the Agricultural activities carried out in the area since historical times. The most common types of grown crops in this region were bananas, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco and some citrus. The island lies within an abundant supply of water from the surrounding large mass of water bodies which was majorly used for irrigation especially when the rains were fewer or when the farmers wanted to raise their yields. The windward sections of the few hilly places that were in the place provided an abundant supply of fertile lands. The largest islands that the Spanish occupied like Jamaica, Puerto Rico had great pieces of lands under farming. Sugar was particularly widely popular because of the large market that demanded it especially in Europe. Due to the plentiful sunshine and rainfall, sugarcane grew perfectly well. Its ability to produce tons of different crops and supply them in other areas made the Spanish Caribbean very famous (Exquemelin, p. 32). Another intriguing factor is that the farming products were supplied to several surrounding regions although some of them were transported to other far regions throughout the world by different businessmen. This business became a very successful venture for the Spaniards during that century. From my analysis the natives of the Caribbean did not enjoy much of the proceedings from what was planted in their farms or what they were enslaved to do. Small scale farming of fruits and vegetables was majorly meant for the welfare of the family but substantially increased after the slaves were freed towards the beginning of the nineteenth century.
Reading through Sandoval I find it very interesting to note that even though the colonizers came in the Caribbean region, there culture was not interfered with and it still exits to date. The culture of the seventeenth Spanish Caribbean has been exceedingly exceptional over the years. Even though there were interruptions from other colonizers like French and Dutch, some of the elements of the culture have remained while some modifications have come up making it even more special. They greatly contributed to the literature of the languages of people and other spheres of life. It was known to encompass many other elements of politics and culinary that represent the Caribbean people. I learnt that in this period of the seventeenth century, most of the natives took the culture of the Spaniards who colonized them. They adopted their customs and traditions and their unique cuisine; a case that led to an eminent destruction of their own identity. They ended up developing a multicultural heritage of bilingual diversity with the largest group being those of Spanish speakers (Sandoval, p. 77).
Reading through Exquemelin’s books another important aspect that I find which are common in the two books is the art and music. The seventeenth Spanish Caribbean was also known for its richness in art ranging from music, cuisine and paintings. The books reveal that the people in this region ...