San Pedro de Macorís

**San Pedro de Macorís** is a city in the eastern Dominican Republic, capital of the San Pedro de Macorís Province. The population was 195,307 at the 2010 census.

## San Pedro de Macorís

### Region

Higuamo
 San Pedro de Macorís Province

### Distance to:

Punta Cana: 113 km (*70 mi.*)
Santo Domingo:
75 km (*47 mi.*)

## History

The lands that would become San Pedro de Macorís first belonged to the ancient Taíno Kingdom of Higüey and were governed by the Chief Cayacoa.

• In **1815,** the settlement seen its first population growth, where Juan Antonio Aybar was appointed as municipal mayor from Macorix (as it was then called) to Cumayasa. But it wasn't until 1822 when a real settlement began, on the western bank of the Higuamo River as a result settlers from the eastern part of Santo Domingo who took refuge there in an attempt to avoid the imminent Haitian invasion. These were located in two hamlets near the bay called **Mosquito** and **Sol** due to the large number of mosquitoes in the area, due to the mangroves that abounded nearby, and the place's exposure to the sun.

The towns of Mosquito and Sol were located on the western bank of the Higuamo River, near its mouth, near the town of Punta de Garza. Later it was called *Mosquitisol.*

After **1840,** the inhabitants moved from the western bank of the Higuamo to the eastern bank, where the city of San Pedro de Macorís was founded, becoming one of the most productive cities in the Dominican Republic. The population gradually increased, dedicating itself to the production of food, and the quantities that arrived at the port of the capital in the banana boats of Macorís in the years 1868 to 1875 were so large, that there the old fishing village was baptized with the name of *Macorís de los Plátanos.*

• In **1846,** at the townspeople's request, the Conservative Council decided to declare the place a military post. At that time, Macoríx belonged to the province of Seybo, being made up of three units: Seybo as the main municipality, Higüey and Samaná.

• In **1848,** the victorious Sugar Industry began what gave the then small town a great boost. Vicente Ordóñez set up the first sugar mill in the Buena Vista sector, with vertical hammers moved by oxen, to curdle molasses.

• In **1852,** the settlement was ​​elevated to a military post, this time depending on the community of Hato Mayor, with the Macorisano Norberto Maldonado being its first commander in arms. In 1957, the constitutional mayor's office was established and its first mayor was Juan María Pinto.

• On **October 1, 1856,** the first Catholic church was founded by Father Pedro Carrasco Capeller, a native of San José de los Llanos, who came to celebrate mass from Hato Mayor. It was a small church made of palm boards and covered with yaguas. In 1865, the church was destroyed by a storm. In 1866, Antonio Guzmán, the communal chief, built a new church with pine boards and cane palm cover. In 1885, a nearby fire partially destroyed this church. Then, the priest Felipe Romero, the trustee Juan Larancuent, and the president of the city council Francisco Nicolás, signed a contract for the construction of the new church.

• In **1858,** the name San Pedro de Macorís was adopted at the suggestion of the priest Elías González, who suggested putting "San Pedro" before "Macoríx" and removing the x so that San Pedro de Macorís would sound, with its patron San Pedro Apóstol. It is from this point that the settlement began its patron saint festivities, starting on **June 22** and ending on the **29**th of the same month.

• In **1868,** the first stage of the war of independence called the Ten Years' War began in Cuba, which resulted in the necessary departure of sugar investors from that island to the Dominican Republic. With access to the Higuamo River, and the possible access to the dock for commercialization, San Pedro de Macorís was the main place of arrival.

• By the middle of **1870** the construction of a modern sugar mill called Angelina began, by the Cuban Juan Amechazurra, this being the first mechanical sugar mill in the history of the Dominican Republic. It began its first harvest on January 9, 1879, after hearing the whistle from the machine house to announce the first steam milling in San Pedro de Macorís, giving this mill satisfactory results for its owner, who was in charge of spreading the news both nationally and internationally, of the good land suitable for planting cane, pasture and livestock; the good land included the proximity of Higuamo River, for transportation, both import and export, of its merchandise. Baseball also came to Ingenio Angelina, since the Alomar brothers brought it from Cuba that same year.

• In **1879,** the first fire department in the Dominican Republic emerged in San Pedro de Macorís and was the only one at the time. It began as a volunteer neighborhood board against fires, organized by Colonel Dionisio García, who later became governor of the province.

• In **1881,** the Cuban Juan Santiago Mellor founded the *Ingenio Porvenir;* a year later Mr. Juan Jorge Serrallés founded the *Ingenio Puerto Rico* (now disappeared). Also that same year of 1882 the Cristóbal Colón Sugar Mill was built by the Cubans Castro and Mola.

In 1882, the Cubans Padrón and Salaum built the *Ingenio Consuelo,* just as the Cubans Vásquez Roser y Compañía founded the *Ingenio Santa Fe* in 1884. The emergence of these sugar mills was the fundamental cause of the political, economic and cultural development of the municipality, since 1875 marks the time when the settlement took a turn towards the vertiginous development that years later allowed it to be the first town in the Dominican Republic with several facets of national history.

This vertiginous advance brought as a consequence a massive immigration from all over the national territory and beyond in search of different types of jobs and business opportunities. The English or "cocolos" were brought to San Pedro de Macorís in a schooner called ECHAR-APITEX, which brought English from the islands to work in the mills. These English brought the folkloric dance *Los Guloyas,* which in its dance represented the debate between David and Goliath. The Haitians were attracted by the cane cutting and they brought with them *El Gaga,* a festival that they celebrate during the Holy Week of each year.

In a short time, a diverse mix nationalities began to emerge in San Pedro de Macorís from the British Virgin Islands, Cuba, Puerto Rico, North America, and Haiti, among others. It was not only a secure source of employment, but also of investment opportunities, due to the existing capital and the large amount of money in circulation in the municipality. This motivated different investors from the country and abroad to deposit their capital in San Pedro de Macorís.

This is how the Arabs, Chinese, and the Spanish, among others, arrived. These branched out into different types of businesses throughout the territory. It is estimated that by 1875, the municipality had an estimated population of 400 inhabitants and by the end of the 20th century, there were 5,000 inhabitants and more than 8,000 rural sections of the province. On September 10, 1882, the national congress granted the approval to elevate San Pedro de Macorís to a Maritime District. This was also the date chosen to celebrate the emergence of the province.

During the sugar boom, San Pedro de Macorís became the most dynamic shopping center in the entire country. The sugar industry stimulated other markets such as crafts, manufactures, construction and commerce in general.

• In **1904,** the installation of lighting in the municipality began. On Duarte Street, in 1910, General Cabral inaugurated the first municipal market, which later became the provincial post office. That same year, on Domínguez Charro and Anacaona Moscoso streets, the San Pedro Apóstol Catholic Church (today the cathedral) was inaugurated, being the most beautiful and modern church in the country.

The sugar industry caused an unprecedented transformation in San Pedro de Macorís, becoming the most modern city in the country due to the quality of the buildings and together with the large number that the town raised. This unusual economic development coincided with technological innovations that were produced in the world, and that first arrived in San Pedro de Macorís to give it the modern character already mentioned.

• In **1911,** the first monument in the country to the three fathers of the country was built. It is located in Salvador Park behind the San Pedro Apóstol parish and in front of the City Hall. The first car, Ford brand and property of the Santa Fe mill, arrived in the country in 1912 for the first time through the port of San Pedro de Macorís.

• San Pedro de Macorís was the first town in the country that promoted tourism since, in 1924, the first seaplane came to the Dominican Republic for the first time, using the Higuamo River as a landing strip.

• In **1918,** the largest building in the country emerged in San Pedro de Macorís, the Armenteros building located on Avenida Domínguez Charro in front of the pier, occupied by the courthouse for many years.

• In **1920,** Margarita de Windt became the first woman in the country to be appointed to hold public office.

• The Apollo restaurant was opened in 1926 by the Ariza family of Spanish nationality. At the beginning of the 70s the Apollo was a tradition of San Pedro. In that same decade it became the first nightclub in the country.

• In **1923,** Dr. Carl T. George began the construction of the San Antonio Hospital with his own resources. It had 6 pavilions and 650 beds, making it the largest in the country at the time.

The mills of San Pedro de Macorís came to produce between 65% and 70% of the total national production of sugar.

San Pedro was able to gather the highest number of poets, becoming the only city in the country that has two national poets to date: Pedro Mir and Gaston F. Deligne.

At the beginning of the 20th century, San Pedro de Macorís had six vice-consuls: from the United States, the German Empire, Venezuela, Spain, France and Peru. Also, since the years of the US Occupation there were banks in Macorís such as the National City Bank and the Royal Bank of Canada. Before the flights by plane, there were ships in Macorís such as the Hurón, the Iroquois, the Cherokee and the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMCS\_Algonquin\_(R17) Algonquín , which made the route between the port of San Pedro de Macorís and the ports of the United States and Europe.

By 1930, three cinemas were operating in San Pedro: the Duarte, Restauración and España, and two theaters: the Restauración and the Colón, the latter with three levels and in the shape of a horseshoe, the only one in the country where operas were performed.

The fall of San Pedro de Macorís occurs in the year 1929 to 1931 with the world crisis, the low blow suffered by the sugar industry and the coming to power of the dictator Rafael L. Trujillo, who was in charge of taking investors and institutions petromacorisanas to the capital.

In 1935 the first and only industrial factory of candles and candles in the country was born on Duarte street no. 56, where Zaglul Warehouses is today. Likewise, in 1944 the Rotary Club was born , the first in the Eastern region.

After the abandonment of San Pedro de Macorís there was a new rebirth in the seventies with the founding of the Universidad Central del Este (UCE) by José Altagracia Hazim Azar; and from the Free Trade Zone in the Balaguer government, which meant an immigration of students from different provinces to the university and of workers in search of employment.

## Geography

San Pedro de Macorís is on the shores of the Caribbean Sea , on the eastern bank of the mouth of the Higuamo or Macorís river. San Pedro de Macorís is located between the two most important rivers in the eastern region.
~~Santa Cruz de Mao is located at 19.5564° N, -71.07798° E. According to the ONE, the municipality has a total land area of 423.60 square kilometers (163.55 square miles). It is bordered by the towns of Laguna Salada, Esparanza, and Bisono on the north, La Canela and San Jose de las Matas of the Santiago Province on the east and southeast, Monción and Sabaneta of the Santiago Rodriguez Province on the southwest and west, and the the town of Guayubín, Monte Cristi Province on the west.~~

~~Economy
-------~~The municipality witnessed the first crops of rice on Dominican soil thanks to the Belgian Bogaert and his son Alberto, who sowed 10 land tasks in 1919, starting an activity that today is very important for the development of the Valverde province and fundamental for the development of the municipality of Mao.

~~### Agriculture~~Valverde Province has an economy based primarily on agriculture, with more than 300,000 cultivable acres, as its territory is nestled in the West Cibao Valley. The main crop in the province is rice and banana, which is exported through the port of Manzanillo. In addition to the aforementioned items, onions, plantains, beans and corn are grown in Valverde province.

~~Civic heritage
--------------~~The municipality evolved from its origin to its current form as follows: as the inhabitants of Monte Cristi and Puerto Plata, after the devastation of Governor Osorio, they could not approach these villages, nor did they want to leave their belongings to move to this, they chose to live hiding from the Spaniards and for that they took the internal areas of the island, where there were better natural conditions their agriculture and their cattle.

As vestiges of the hatero origin of this town, here there are still places that bear the name of hato: a) Hatico b) Hato del Yaque c) Hato Nuevo d) Hato Viejo e) Hato del Medio. In **1869**, the first church, built in **Madera**, was inaugurated in the then **Santa Cruz** Section in Mao.

The first recreational park, Amado Franco Bidó , was inaugurated in **1908** under the name of **Dolores**. The arrival in the Municipality of Eng. Luis L. Bogaert and his family marked a decisive point in the development of his agriculture and livestock.

He built the first irrigation canal in the entire area, which quickly increased agricultural products and livestock, as water was taken to previously unproductive land due to lack of this liquid. This was inaugurated in **1918** during the influenza (epidemic).

On **September 24, 1933**, the first suspension bridge over the Rio Yaque del Norte was inaugurated, in the Guayacanes Pass. This was the first suspension bridge that was built in the country, and the tallest in the West Indies.

~~In this municipality are the regional offices of Public Health, Education, Public Works, Community Development, Agriculture and Dominican Agrarian Institute, among others; also, there are those of the Bishopric or Diocese, the Institute for the Development of the Northwest (INDENOR), Project for the Development of the Northwest (PROLINO), Northwest Regional University Center of the UASD, National Savings and Loan Association, etc. The National Army also has its main seat in the municipality, represented in the 4th Infantry Brigade, which in turn is constituted by the 9th. Battalion "Macheteros Gral. Santiago Rodríguez" based in the "Fortaleza Gral. Benito Monción", and the 10th. Battalion of Dajabón "Gral. Fernando A. Sánchez" with seat in the Fortress of the border city.~~

## References

San Pedro [1]

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