Guide of San Fernando de Monte Cristi, Montecristi or Monte Cristi

Monte Cristi, the former prosperous city

San Fernando de Monte Cristi is the capital of Monte Cristi Province, Dominican Republic.

It is located in the northwest of the country in the coastal lowlands, close to the border with Haiti.

Monte Cristi, located approximately 135 km west of Puerto Plata, sits among desert-like surroundings on the northwestern tip of the Dominican Republic.
Founded in 1506, the town was an important trading port until the 19th century - exporting sugar, mahogany and other crops to Europe.

Guide of San Fernando de Monte Cristi

Barrio of the Colon street in Montecristi in 1906

History

Populated in 1533 by Juan de Bolaños and 63 families from the Canary Islands. These migrated to various parts of the country after failing to establish successfully. Later repopulated and became a very wealthy port in the mid-to-late 1500s.

In 1606, one hundred years after its founding, it was destroyed as retribution for doing business with pirates. In 1756 the city was rebuilt and again became a prosperous trading center, until the early 20th century.

In 1895, was the site of the signing of el Manifiesto de Montecristi by Máximo Gómez and José Martí, at Máximo Gómez home located on Mella St. The also sailed from La Granja beach, also in Montecristi, to Cuba to fight for its independence.

Guide of San Fernando de Monte Cristi

Street of the President Vasquez, the clock and the Church of Montecriti in 1906

Today

Presently most of the 25,000 inhabitants make their living from farming, fishing and the salt flats to the north. There is not a lot of tourism in this Victorian-style town, but those that visit can enjoy Cayo Cabrita and El Morro beaches, as well as very good diving. From El Morro, you can swim 300 meters out to Isla Cabrita, an island housing a lighthouse.

Divers enjoy investigating the several shipwrecks, which include colonial-era galleons. Many come to the area to visit the National Park, Parque Nacional Monte Cristi, consisting of subtropical dry forest, lagoons and a 900 foot high Mesa.

The Mesa overlooks the spectacularly clear sea below and several small islands located just off shore, known as Los Siete Hermanos(The Seven Brothers), where large sea turtles lay their eggs. There are over 160 species of birds and over 10 species of reptiles that occupy the park.

The people of Monte Cristi are a big celebrators of Carnival, the days leading up to Easter Sunday, and May 30th, the Patron Saint festivalin honor of San Fernando.

Monte Cristi today

Monte Cristi National Park

Monte Cristi National Park (Parque National Monte Cristi) is a national park on the Caribbean Island of Hispanola that extends from the borders of Haiti to Punta Rucia in the Dominican Republic and covers an area of 550 km².
Its contains coastal lagoons, beaches, mangrove swamps, a 237 m (777 ft) lime stone mesa from which can be seen off shore keys and forested slopes of the mesa’s northern side.

The area is very dry, receiving just over two inches of rain per year. The huge mesa provides a habitat for an indigenous plant species called sabia montecristini as well as several reptile species. There are no marked paths in the park.

Source : Wikipedia and Hispaniola