Spanish Jamaica

Despite spanning more than a full century and a half, the Spanish history of Jamaica has remained in virtual obscurity. This English translation of Francisco Morales Padron's Spanish Jamaica originally published in Seville Spain in 1952 as Jamaica Espanol, not only brings to light Spain's contribution to Jamaica's history, but also reveals how this history subsequently affected Spain's colonial fortunes in the Western Hemisphere. Spanish Jamaica provides details of the social, economic and political conditions existing in the island during the period of Spanish rule. Of particular importance is the author's analysis of Jamaica's strategic importance to Spain as a gateway to mainland America and how, by not exploiting this strategic advantage, the Spanish colonial enterprise never realised its full potential.