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"In 1494, Christopher Columbus' exploratory travels on behalf of the King and Queen of Spain brought him to the island of Jamaica. His arrival represented the beginning of the Spanish period in Jamaica's history which ended with the English capture of the island in 1655." "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 Espanola, 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." "Padron's 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 achieved its full potential."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved