Monte Plata >>

Hi everyone: I've been looking for Monte Plata on the Dom.Rep. map and I can't find it. When I was living in Sto. Dgo. I've heard the rumors that at the time city was going to be part of the National District (Districto Nacional). Those were just rumors, but recently I've wanted to do something on the computer and as part of the informations be given was my birth city. Then a message came saying that the city provided wasn't found. I decided to search and see what was wrong. By looking at the whole Dominican map I could not find Monte Plata on it.

Can anyone checking this message, please, tell me what is wrong; Were those rumors true? Is Monte Plata Part of the National District or is it just, that particular program or web page does not have this particular city included on its list of cities?

Any info on this matter will be apprecieted

Thanks much! Sandra

Yes, Virginia, there is a Monte Plata. It's northeast of Santo Domingo, west of Hato Mayor, and just a tad northwest of Bayaguana. It was created in the devastaciones of 1605, when the Spaniards forcibly moved all residents from the north coast here. Settlers in Puerto Plata and Monte Cristi were forced into Monte Plata (hence the name), residents from Bayaja and La Yaguana (today they're Fort Liberte and port-au-prince, Haiti) were shipped to nearby Bayaguana. The purpose of this was to prevent contraband trade with Protestants; no Spanish ships went to the Dominican Republic's north coast, so the settlers could only deal with the Dutch and British ships. They lost all of their belongings and cattle along the tough, month-long journey, so they had to resort to hunting wild cattle left by Ponce de Leon and other conquistadors who had settled the southeast and then abandoned it. Today Monte Plata is a sleepy little town with a great cattle fiesta patronal, where long processions of cowboys on horseback parade cattle through the street, the women sing songs to the bulls entreating them to be fruitful and multiply and they're blessed by the local priest at the steps of the church; then the priest takes several head of cattle for himself at the expense of townsfolk. Other than that there's little to see here, though. It's certainly not at this stage a part of the national park system, and I'm not sure what the government would be protecting -- it's all cattle grazing area and pineapple plantations amid some pretty, but partially denuded, rolling hills.

Thanks so much Sean for your info, but perhaps I wasn't clear enough on making my point. I was born in Monte Plata as my birth certificate said. I was looking out at Dominican Republic map and it does not show Monte Plata anywhere and being it part of the Dom Rep cities I do not understand why shows every cities but Monte Plata. I know it is about two hours from Sto Dgo. But why it does not show up on the Map? And if you have in updated map or you know where I can find one over the computer could you give me the web address.

Once again thank you much for your promt respond.

Monte Plata is now a province by itself.

Check the web site of the statistics office.

Sorry for the miscommunication, Sandra. YOu need a better map. Berndtson & Berndston make a great Dominican Republic map, as do International Travel Maps. I think in North America that International Travel Maps are easier to get ahold of. You could order them, for instance, from a major chain bookstore or amazon.com. You can find the Berndtson & Berndtsons in Santo Domingo and Santiago.