San Cristóbal, The Dominican Republic

🇩🇴 San Cristóbal is a city in the southern region of Dominican Republic. It is the municipal (municipio) capital of the San Cristóbal province. The municipality is located in a valley at the foothills of the mountains belonging to the Cordillera Central, between the Nigua and Nizao rivers. Within this municipality there is one municipal district (distrito municipal): Hato Damas.

San Cristóbal was founded in the late 16th century. The Constitution of the Dominican Republic was signed in San Cristóbal in 1844. The city is also notable for being the birthplace of Rafael Trujillo, dictator from 1930 to 1961, who was killed by anti-dictatorial Dominicans on his way to San Cristóbal in 1961 as part of a successful plot to end his 30-year authoritarian regime.

History The first explorations in San Cristóbal date back to the beginning of the conquest and colonization of Hispaniola with the second Voyage of Christopher Columbus in 1493. There were various haciendas, herds and ranches that existed in the Partido de los Ingenios de Nigua (today San Cristóbal) during the Spanish colonial era.

The formation of the town is credited to Miguel Díaz, who while fleeing from the punishment that awaited him from the authorities of "La Isabela" (the first city created by Columbus in America), due to a violent fight he had with another colonist, moved to this place where he married an indigenous woman by the name of Catalina, who according to legend, fearing being abandoned by her spouse, revealed to him the existence of a place where they found the gold deposits; Díaz then returned to La Isabela to inform the colonial authorities of his find.

Upon confirming the existence of gold on the banks of the Haina River, the Spanish proceeded to arrange for the settlement of a group of settlers and the installation of a fort called Buenaventura and later San Cristóbal, in honor of the admiral. Between the banks of the Haina and Nigua rivers, herds, haciendas and ranches were formed, as well as sugar mills that contributed to a notable development of the place. The Partido de los Ingenios de Nigua was the name given to the route between the indicated rivers, it was not until 1782 when it was elevated to the category of parish, constituting the San Gregorio de Nigua Church as the seat of the parish, which is undoubtedly one of the oldest construction of San Cristóbal still standing.

Rafael Trujillo, dictator from 1930 to 1961, was born in San Cristóbal in 1891 and had several properties in San Cristóbal among these were: • El Castillo El Cerro • La Casa de Playa de Najayo o Casa de Marfil • La Hacienda María o Casa Blanca • La Casa de Caoba (his favorite home)

All of these buildings are still standing, though in poor conditions. He built many monuments in his hometown, such as Balneario La Toma, and Parque Piedras Vivas – a park he ordered to be built from rocks and stones collected from each city of the Dominican Republic to honor himself (hence the park's name "Living Stones").

Geography San Cristóbal is located about 30 km (19 mi) on the DR-2 from Santo Domingo and close to Bajos de Haina. It is located near the coast of the Caribbean Sea. The topography is hilly as you go farther inland into the Cordillera Central mountain range.

Economy Goya Foods has its Dominican Republic offices in San Cristóbal. The city has considerable sources of work, in which the Nestlé factory (maggi), the Sancela Family group plant, the Goya processing plant as well as the glass industrial park, the armory free zone, the CEDELCA piping factory, the tropical products factory (coco López) as well as the marmotech, Tecnotiles and Star marble marble plants, among other companies. However, due to its proximity to Santo Domingo, the population moves to work in the capital city, as well as in the towns of Bajo de Haina and Nigua. Currently in the city they are installing new businesses in its main streets and avenues.

The economic activities are influenced by the fact that it is the main city in the southern region and the fifth in the country and are industry (in San Cristóbal and the free zones of Bajo de Haina, Nigua and Villa Altagracia), small-scale agriculture (except citrus plantations in Villa Altagracia, coffee in the mountains and onions in the Najayo-Palenque plains) and port plantations (in Bajo de Haina and Palenque).

It has an intense tourist activity, especially national or internal tourists. The main centres are the beaches of Najayo, Palenque, El Balnearios de La Toma, Cuevas del Pomier and the Haina and Nizao rivers.

Currently, San Cristóbal is one of the cities with the best rates in the area of telecommunications. It has the services of the main telephone companies in the country, as well as various cable and satellite television companies.

Education There are a total of 72 educational centres and 92 centre boards. The Educational District 04-03 has under its jurisdiction 56 Basic Centers, 10 Middle Schools, 6 Adult Centers, an Initial Education Center "National Council for Children and Adolescents (Conani)" and the Directorate of Attention to the Early Childhood (DAPI).

The large number of high school graduates in this city are concentrated in the Liceo Enedina Puello Renville, located in the Madre Vieja Sur sector. In said centre there is a population of more than 1500 students in their morning, afternoon and evening shifts.

San Cristóbal has numerous educational centres at the basic, middle and higher levels, among which the UASD San Cristóbal, also called CURSCEN, the Loyola Polytechnic Institute (recently endorsed and certified as a Loyola Specialized Institute of Higher Studies) stand out. teach technical engineering careers such as: Network and Telecommunications Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Agricultural Engineering, with all the prestige of the Loyola Polytechnic Institute.), Loyola Cooperative School, Francisco José Peynado Polytechnic Institute, Santa Rita School, Center for Ronda Del Saber Studies, Baptist School, San Rafael School, English Learning Center, Canaan Academy, etc. Studies are offered at the pre-initial, basic, secondary and higher levels. A high percentage of the young population moves to Santo Domingo to study, due to the diversity of offers and the proximity.

It also has a technical-professional training centre, INFOTEP (National Institute for Technical-Professional Training), its teaching is partially carried out at the Loyola Polytechnic Institute.

Sites of interest • Diego Caballero Sugar Mill • La Toma de San Cristóbal • Pomier Caves • Parque Piedras Vivas • Playa Palenque • Playa Najayo • Ingenio CAEI • Fuerte Resoli.

Sectors • 5 de abril • Canastica • El Pomier • Hatillo • La Cruz • La Guandulera • La Suiza • La Toma • Las Flores • Lava Pies • Los Cacaitos • Los Molinas • Los Montones • Los Corozos • Zona verde • Los Novas • Madre Vieja Norte • Madre Vieja Sur • Medina • Moscú • Pueblo Nuevo • Sabana Toro • Villa Fundación • Villa Liberación • Villa Valdez • Zona Verde • Mira Cielo • Villa Mercedes • Las Arecas • Villa Liberación • Najayo Arriba • Yaguate • Cambita • Doña Ana • Hatillo • Nicole • San Isidro • Nigua • Frank Reyna.