 thumb|right|parque colÃ³n in the colonial city. the dominican people and their customs have origins consisting of mainly european and african roots, with some taino influences. the dominican republic was the site of the first european settlement in the new world, namely santo domingo, founded in 1493. shortly after the arrival of europeans, the taino indian population on the island declined due to inter-mixing and diseases that were inadvertently brought by the spaniards, and had previously been unknown to the native inhabitants. the colonizers thus began importing african slaves to replace the natives. the fusion of european, african and taino traditions and customs contributed to the development of present day dominican culture. there are differences in class and education that separate different groups. the metropolitan culture available to the upper class and diminishing middle classâdue to the economic turbulence, as of lateâis often comparable to the life of city dwellers in the rich countries of western europe and the united states. but this metropolitan culture doesn't generally reach the poorest people, who may not always have the most basic necessities. == music ==   musically, the dominican republic is known for the creation of the musical style called merengue, a type of lively, fast-paced rhythm and dance music consisting of a tempo of about 120 to 160 beats per minute (though it varies) based on musical elements like african drums, brass, piano, chorded instruments, and traditionally the accordion, as well as some elements unique to the dominican republic, such as the tambora and gÃ¼ira. its syncopated beats use latin percussion, brass instruments, bass, and piano or keyboard. between 1937 and 1950 merengue music was promoted internationally by dominican groups like chapuseaux and damiron "los reyes del merengue", joseito mateo, and others. radio, television, and international media popularized it further. some well-known merengue performers include johnny ventura, singer/songwriter juan luis guerra, fernando villalona, eddy herrera, sergio vargas, toÃ±o rosario, milly quezada, and chichÃ­ peralta. merengue became popular in the united states, mostly on the east coast, during the 1980s and 1990s,{{cite book | last = harvey | first = sean | authorlink = sean harvey | title = the rough guide to the dominican republic | publisher = rough guides| year= 2006 | isbn = 1-84353-497
Dominican_Republic_culture