Spanish Town - wikipedia Spanish Town For other uses, see Spanish Town ( disambiguation ). Spanish Town Town St. Jago de la Vega Cathedral Nickname ( s ) : Spain Spanish Town Coordinates : 17 ° 59 ′ 45 '' N 76 ° 57 ′ 18 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 17.9958766 ° N 76.9551086 ° W ﻿ / 17.9958766 ; - 76.9551086 Coordinates : 17 ° 59 ′ 45 '' N 76 ° 57 ′ 18 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 17.9958766 ° N 76.9551086 ° W ﻿ / 17.9958766 ; - 76.9551086 Country Jamaica Parish St Catherine Founded as Villa de la Vega 1534 Population Estimate ( 2010 ) 162,359 Time zone EST ( UTC - 5 ) Area code ( s ) 876 Website http://www.spanishtownjamaica.com/ Spanish Town is the capital and the largest town in the parish of St. Catherine in the historic county of Middlesex, Jamaica. It was the Spanish and British capital of Jamaica from 1534 until 1872. The town is home to numerous memorials, the national archives, and one of the oldest Anglican churches outside England ( the others are in Virginia, Maryland and Bermuda ). Contents 1 History 2 Points of interest 2.1 Old Iron Bridge 3 Today 4 Government and infrastructure 5 Transport 5.1 Roads 5.2 Rail 6 Famous residents 7 Notable incidents 8 In popular culture 9 References 10 Other sources History This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( April 2012 ) An 1825 engraving of Spanish Town 's colonial offices The Spanish settlement of Villa de la Vega was founded by governor Francisco de Garay 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. 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. Points of interest Built on the west bank of the Rio Cobre, the town lies thirteen miles from Kingston on the main road. Its history was shaped by two significant colonial periods : Spanish rule from 1534 -- 1655 and the English from 1655 -- 1872. After that the capital was relocated to Kingston. The Anglican Church took over the 16th century cathedral. The historic architecture and street names mark the colonial history, such as Red Church and White Church streets, symbolic of the Spanish chapels of the red and white cross, as well as Monk Street, in reference to the monastery that once stood nearby. Nugent and Manchester streets were named for the British Colonial Governors, George Nugent and William Montagu, 5th Duke of Manchester. King Street runs past the King 's House, the governor 's residence, and Constitution Street, near to the Square, refers to the island 's former administrative centre. Regency buildings in the town centre include the Rodney Memorial and the façade of the Old King 's House, which was the residence of the governors until 1872. Old iron bridge Spanish Town is the site of an early cast - iron bridge, designed by Thomas Wilson and manufactured by Walker and Company of Rotherham, England. Spanning the Rio Cobre, the bridge was erected in 1801 at a cost of £ 4,000. Its four arched ribs are supported on massive masonry abutments. After the abutments deteriorated, endangering the structure, it was listed in the 1998 World Monuments Watch by the World Monuments Fund. A restoration project began in 2004, with funding provided by American Express through World Monuments Fund. Progress was slow until 2008, when a renewed restoration effort was made. A first phase of restoration was completed in April 2010, when the repair of the abutments allowed the bridge to be reopened for the public. More recently, violence in the area has prevented the bridge from achieving the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today In 2009 the population of Spanish Town was estimated to be about 160,000. The population of Spanish Town, like the rest of the St. Catherine, has been growing rapidly. It is sometimes referred to colloquially as `` Spain '' or `` Prison Oval '' within Jamaica. The latter nickname is a reference to the cricket pitch or oval located just outside the St. Catherine District Prison, where some inmates can get a limited view of the sport through their cell windows. Association football is also played at the Prison Oval ; Rivoli United F.C. is the major team. The town had one of the first Spanish cathedrals to be built in the New World, constructed around 1525. Many Christian denominations have churches or meeting halls in the town, including a Roman Catholic church and Wesleyan, Baptist and Seventh - Day Adventist chapels. There is also a mosque. Standing untouched in character is a historic alms - house, public hospital, and a penal institution built in the eighteenth century. The town contains a factory that manufactures dyes from logwood, a salt factory, and a rice processing plant. In the neighbourhood are five large sugar estates, a milk condensary, and a large textile mill. Government and infrastructure The Rio Cobre Juvenile Correctional Centre of the Department of Correctional Services, Jamaica is located in Spanish Town. Transport Roads Spanish Town is on the main A1 ( Kingston to Lucea ) and A2 ( Spanish Town to Savanna - la - Mar ) roads. It is well served by buses, mini buses and taxis, which operate from the Spanish Town Transport Hub. Rail The now disused Spanish Town railway station formerly provided access to four lines : Kingston to Montego Bay Spanish Town to Ewarton Bog Walk to Port Antonio Linstead to New Works The station opened in 1845 and closed in October 1992 when all passenger traffic on Jamaica 's railways abruptly ceased. Famous residents Legendary British pirate Edward Teach a / k / a Blackbeard. Mixed Martial Artist Uriah Hall was born in Spanish Town. Singer and actress Grace Jones was born in Spanish Town. Sprinter Asafa Powell is from Spanish Town. Sprinter Yohan Blake attended school in Spanish Town. Former International West Indies Cricketer Jermaine Lawson is from Spanish Town. Reggae singer Diana King was born in Spanish Town. Reggae deejay Prince Far I was born in Spanish Town. The Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness, was born and raised in Spanish Town Soul singer Precious Wilson was born in Spanish Town. International West Indies Cricketer Alfred Valentine is from Spanish Town. Gospel reggae singer Chevelle Franklyn was born in Tawes Pen, Spanish Town. Actor and model Kevin Navayne was born in Spanish Town. Singer Chronixx is from Spanish Town `` White Negress '' Amelia Lewsham was born here in the 1740s Notable incidents The famous pirate Calico Jack and his crew were hanged in Santiago de la Vega in 1720 following a trial conducted by the governor, Sir Nicholas Lawes. Danish singer Natasja Saad died in a car crash near the city on 24 June 2007. In popular culture The band The Spanishtonians, also known as The Spanish Town Skabeats, best known for their hit song `` Stop That Train '', are named after the city. References ^ Jump up to : World Gazetteer. Jump up ^ Spanish Town Archived 25 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine., Jamaica National Heritage Trust Jump up ^ Old Iron Bridge, World Monuments Fund Jump up ^ `` $3.8 - m restoration starts on Spanish Town iron bridge this week '', Jamaica Observer, 26 May 2004 Jump up ^ Jamaica National Heritage Trust, Spanish Town Iron Bridge a little safer for residents, April 29, 2010. Jump up ^ Erica Virtue, `` Violence preventing Spanish Town monuments from receiving ' heritage site ' status '', Jamaica Observer, 21 July 2010 Jump up ^ Joanna Ferguson, `` The Muslim Minority in Jamaica '', JamBeat, Volume 2 Number 1, 2006 -- 03. Jump up ^ `` JUVENILE CORRECTIONAL CENTRES Archived 14 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine... '' Department of Correctional Services, Jamaica. Retrieved on 2 October 2010. Jump up ^ Road map of Jamaica, Texaco, 1972. Jump up ^ The rise and fall of railways in Jamaica, 1845 -- 1975 -- Pg18 Journal of Transport History -- March 2003 Jump up ^ Kathleen Chater, ' Lewsham, Amelia ( b.c. 1748, d. in or after 1798 ) ', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Oct 2010 ; online edn, May 2011 accessed 28 Jan 2017 Other sources Wikimedia Commons has media related to Spanish Town. James Robertson, Gone is the Ancient Glory, Spanish Town Jamaica 1534 -- 2000, Kingston, Jamaica : 2005. Parish Information Settlements in Jamaica For the definition of city, town, etc., see : Settlements in Jamaica. Cities Kingston Montego Bay Towns Above Rocks Albert Town Alexandria Alligator Pond Anchovy Annotto Bay Balaclava Bamboo Bath Bethel Town Black River Bluefields Bog Walk Brown 's Town Buff Bay Bull Savanna Cambridge Cascade Cave Valley Chapelton Christiana Claremont Clark 's Town Coleyville Croft 's Hill Dalvey Darliston Discovery Bay Duncans Easington Ewarton Falmouth Frankfield Franklin Town Frome Gayle Golden Grove Gordon Town Grange Hill Green Island Guy 's Hill Hayes Highgate Hope Bay Hopewell, Hanover Islington Kellits Lacovia Linstead Lionel Town Little London Lluidas Vale Lucea Lucky Hill Maggotty Malvern Manchioneal Mandeville Maroon Town Mavis Bank May Pen Moneague Moore Town Morant Bay Nain Negril Ocho Rios Old Harbour Old Harbour Bay Oracabessa Osbourne Store Petersfield Point Hill Port Antonio Port Maria Portmore ( conurbation of Kingston ) Porus Race Course Richmond Rio Bueno Riversdale Rocky Point Runaway Bay Saint Ann 's Bay Sandy Bay Santa Cruz Savanna - la - Mar Seaford Town Seaforth Siloah Spanish Town Southfield Stonehenge Trinity Ville Ulster Spring Wakefield White House Williamsfield Yallahs Villages Accompong Aeolus Valley Airy Castle Barking Lodge Big Woods Bog Boscobel Broughton Bull Bay Carmel Cattawood Springs Clarendon Park Claverty Cottage Cotterwood Duckenfield Haddersfield Hagley Gap Hodges Hopeton Hopewell Hall Hopewell, Clarendon Hopewell, Manchester Hopewell, Saint Andrew Hopewell, Saint Ann Hopewell, Saint Elizabeth Hopewell, Westmoreland Kendal Long Wood Mavis Bank Middle Quarters Montpelier Nanny Town New Holland New Market New Roads Newcastle Nine Mile Old Pera Paynes Town Port Esquivel Port Morant Revival Roxborough San San Sherwood Content Sligoville White Hall Wood Hall Neighbourhoods Kingston and St Andrew Allman Town Arcadia Barbican Beverly Hills Bournemouth Gardens Camperdown Cassava Piece Cherry Gardens Cockburn Gardens Constant Spring Cooreville Gardens Cross Roads Delacree Park Denham Town Duhaney Park Eastwood Park Elleston Flats Fletcher 's Land Forest Hills Garden Four Mile Grants Pen Greenwich Town Half Way Tree Hannah Town Harbour View Havendale Hope Pastures Hope Tavern Hughenden Jack 's Hill Jones Town Kencot Kingston Gardens Kintyre Liguanea Manley Meadows Mannings Hill Maxfield Meadowbrook Meadowbrook Estate Molynes Gardens Mona Mona Heights Mountain View Gardens Nannyville Gardens New Haven New Kingston Newport West Newton Square Norbrook Norman Gardens Oaklands Olympic Gardens Papine Passmore Town Patrick City Pembroke Hall Perkins Estate Port Royal Queensborough Queensbury Rae Town Red Hills Richmond Park Rockfort / Rennock lodge Rollington Town Seaview Gardens Shooters Hill Six Miles South Side St Mary Stony Hill Three Mile Three Oaks Gardens Tivoli Gardens Trench Town Vineyard Town Washington Gardens Whitfield Town Wilton Gardens Woodford Park Ziadie Gardens Jamaica portal Geography portal VIAF : 136215439 GND : 7716617 - 6 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Spanish_Town&oldid=833514308 '' Categories : Populated places established in 1534 Populated places in Jamaica Former national capitals Populated places in Saint Catherine Parish 1534 establishments in the Spanish Empire 1534 establishments in North America Spanish Town Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links EngvarB from February 2014 Use dmy dates from February 2014 Coordinates on Wikidata Articles needing additional references from April 2012 All articles needing additional references All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from April 2013 Articles with unsourced statements from December 2017 Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Afrikaans Català Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara Français 한국어 Bahasa Indonesia Italiano Lietuvių Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Patois Polski Português Русский Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Svenska Türkçe اردو 中文 18 more Edit links This page was last edited on 1 April 2018, at 01 : 35. 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Question: when did spanish town become jamaica's capital
Answer: 1534