This drawing of Santo Domingo's Fortifications is part of a series of drawings and maps of the island that are conserved in the General Indies Archive.
During the second half of the XVI century, the presence of English and French corsairs in Caribbean waters obliged the Spanish monarchy to get involved in an expensive fortification policy of the most important population. The city of Santo Domingo site Archbishopric and Audience was one of the worst defended situations that were worsened by the population decrease suffered by the island due to the measures taken to avoid smuggling and the obliged depopulation of all the population settled in the north. In 1606 the inhabitants of Santo Domingo had been reduced to 648 neighbours before, due to city lack of defenses, it had been transitorily occupied by the English.
We have 1 facsimile edition of the manuscript "Drawing of Santo Domingo": Mapa de Santo Domingo facsimile edition, published by Testimonio Compañía Editorial, 2009
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