The city was founded in 1704 with families that came from the Canary Islands;it took the Taíno name of the region: Hincha.The French people changed the name to Hinche but in Spanish it is still Hincha. At that moment, the region was part of the Spanish colony of Santo Domingo (now the Dominican Republic). After the Haitian Revolution, in the early 19th century, this region became part of the new Republic of Haiti but the Dominican Republic accepted the transfer of the region to Haiti only in 1929.Hinche is the hometown of Charlemagne Péralte, the Haitian nationalist leader who resisted the United States occupation of Haïti (1915-1934). The island of Hispaniola was discovered by the navigator Christopher Columbus in 1492. The original population of the island, the Tainos, were gradually destroyed by the Spanish conquistadors.The village of Hincha was founded in 1704, by Spanish settlers from the Canary Islands.In 1739 its population was of 500 colonists,in 1760 its population reached 3,092 people, of whom 1,443 were slaves;in 1783 its population dropped to 2,993, this decline is explained by the founding of San Rafael de La Angostura and San Miguel de la Atalaya,these cities, located in the Central Plateau, along with San Francisco de Bánica and Dajabón.Its economy was primarily focused on the export of beef to the incipient French colony of Saint-Domingue, where the meat was 750% more expensive] In 1743 it had 19,335 livestock and in 1772 the number of livestock rose to 30,000 heads, the largest one in the colony. In 1776, the governors of Saint-Domingue and Santo Domingo agreed in San Miguel de la Atalaya to the creation of a joint commission that would draw the border between the two colonies.The following year, Spain and France signed the Treaty of Aranjuez (1777), and the border between the Spanish and French colonies was plotted. Hincha was the scene of armed conflict during the War of the First Coalition. At the end of this war, Spain was to yield to France under the Peace of Basel, their rights over all the Hispaniola island in exchange for the regions of the Basque Country, Navarre, Catalonia and Valencia, occupied by France during the war. However France did not take possession of the Spanish colony under the treaty until 1802. In 1801, amid the Haitian Revolution, Toussaint Louverture captured Santo Domingo and proclaimed the emancipation of the slaves. The next year, Napoleon Bonaparte sent an army commanded by his brother-in-law, General Charles Leclerc, who captured Louverture and sent him to France as a prisoner. In 1809, during the course of the Napoleonic Wars, Spain regained its former possessions on the island and slavery was restored with the creation of a law that allowed whites to capture people with any degree of African descent and turn them into slaves without the need to prove that they were former slaves.
From 1821 to 1937.
On December 1, 1821 it was declared in Santo Domingo the independence of the Republic of Spanish Haiti by the European-born and Criollo white colonial aristocracy, but this action was not supported by the population with any degree of African descent, who were wary of the rule of pure whites, and preferred to unite with the French Haiti, because there was no slavery. On late 1821 and early 1822, Haiti sent emissaries to the central and northern Spanish Haiti to promote the accession of the country to Haiti, and the people began to raise the Haitian flag on public buildings and plazas, among them Hincha, but also in other large cities like Puerto Plata (13 December 1821), Dajabón (15 December), Santiago (29 December) and La Vega (4 January 1822).The Haitian government proceeds to annex the Eastern side of the island on February 1822 and the Haitian army entered in Santo Domingo city with no resistance on March 1, 1822, commanded by President Jean-Pierre Boyer. After political and economic crises and growing discontent, most people felt cheated. In 1844 the former Spanish Haiti declared its independence and became the Dominican Republic.Neighboring towns and cities like Hincha (now Hinche), Juana Méndez (now Ouanaminthe), San Rafael de La Angostura (now Saint-Raphaël), San Miguel de la Atalaya (now Saint-Michel-de-l’Atalaye), or Las Caobas (now Lascahobas), among others, remained isolated with little communication with the Dominican capital whilst there were a growing Haitian influence as the gourde circulated and in addition to the Spanish language, Haitian Creole was also spoken. Eventually, these cities would be disputed between the two countries. Hinche is the native town of Pedro Santana, first President of the Dominican Republic, as well of Charlemagne Péralte, Haitian nationalist leader of Dominican origin who resisted the occupation of Haiti by the United States (1915–1934).
Photo credit by Juniorigolo.
CULTURE
The majority of the population are of African descent with a small minority being French-African. The official religion is Roman Catholicism, but the constitution allows the free choice of religion. There are also many non Catholic Christian churches in the city and the surrounding communities. Groups. Some of the people also practice voodoo.
CUISINE
The cuisine is Créole, French, or a mixture of both. Créole cuisine is like other Caribbean cuisines, but more peppery. Specialties include griot (deep-fried pieces of pork), lambi (conch, considered an aphrodisiac), tassot (jerked beef) and rice with djon-djon (tiny, dark mushrooms). As elsewhere in the Caribbean, lobster is well known here. A wide range of climates produces a large assortment of fruits and vegetables.
ATTRACTION
East of Hinche, Bassin Zim is a 20 m waterfall in a lush setting, a 30 minutes drive from town. In the city you will also find the Cathédrale de Sacré-Coeur.
Charldine G. Celestin
Charldine G. Celestin
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