La Vega

Carnaval is a celebration that was brought the island by Christopher Columbus.  The Carnaval also has an African and Taino influence here.  A city about 1.5 hours from Santo Domingo called La Vega has the oldest, biggest and most famous Carnaval celebration in the country.  Carnaval is celebrated every weekend in February with the final weekend being the biggest.  Each city that has a Carnaval celebration has its own special traditions, costumes, etc.  In La Vega, squads participate in a costume contest.  They walk through the streets showing off their ornate costumes.  It addition to the elaborate squads, there are traditional costumes like “Roba la Gallina” (chicken stealer) and “monos” (monkeys).  There’s also a tradition where the devil costumes hit you in the behind with an inflated cow bladder.  Carnaval was unlike any other event I’ve ever been to. 

While in La Vega, we toured the small town’s few “sites to see”.  La Vega Vieja (the old city) was founded by Christopher Columbus in 1494 to hopes of finding gold.  The region was not rich in gold, but it was rich with fertile land great for crops, especially sugarcane.  A huge earthquake destroyed the La Vega Vieja in 1562. We toured the ruins of a fort, church, and houses.

Santo Cerro (Holy Hill) has a beautiful church (Iglesia Las Mercedes).  According to the story, Christopher Columbus placed a cross from Queen Isabela at this church.  When the Spanish and Taino Indians were fighting the natives tried to burn the cross, but it wouldn’t catch on fire.  Then, the Virgin Mary appeared and scared off the Tainos.  Now, this is a popular pilgrimage site.  There is also a nispero tree near the church.  Supposedly, this tree is a descendent of one planted in the late 1400s that was used to build the original wooden church.

The new city has the Catedral de la Concepcion that is known for its odd architectural style.

view of the city from our hotel

I thought the clothes drying on the roof made a cool design.

visiting the ruins

La Vega Vieja

THE tree

view from the top of Santo Cerro

Iglesias Las Mercedes

every cosutme was so unique

That is just one person in the costume!

some costumes were a lot scarier than others

Hotel Rey--great place to stay!

mono

catedral

not known for its beautiful style

This guy covered himself in oil in hopes of getting your money.  The creature would threaten to touch you to speed up the donating process.  Parents also found amusement in torturing their children,

lots of colors

These colors and masks are much more friendly.

The pink ball is a plastic version of the traditional cow bladder.

enjoying the crowd