A section of the Old Capital, Emancipation Square.

Our twice-weekly feature continues on Saturday. look out, Spanish Town, we're still watching you!

WHEN ALL the books of Jamaica's history are written, Spanish Town will have a special chapter in it.

The town was Jamaica's second capital, but it's nowhere near the splendour of the days the Spanish called it home.

Villa de la Vega (Town of the Plains), as Spanish Town was known in the 1500s, has had its fair share of historic activities.

It was to Spanish Town (by then its present name had been implemented by the British) that Paul Bogle marched from St Thomas all the way for an audience with the governor. It was also the site of the historic treaty between the British and the Maroons, which recognised them as the first autonomous people of African heritage in the New World.

These days, the newsworthy events in St Catherine seem to be of a less favourable flavour sometimes. There's still a lot of hustle and bustle from the vendors, taxi and bus drivers, and the numerous folks who trod through the town daily.

Relics of the past

Modern buildings are part of the landscape now, but around its 'old quarters' the brick buildings of a time gone by remain.

The dilapidated buildings that were once homes and businesses are still there. For some, they are an eyesore. But for others, they are relics that should be preserved.

Spanish Town has had its fair share of trouble over the years. Shoot-outs, gang feuds and riots have made the town a less-than-desirable place to dwell in and do business. And the effects on communities just outside the heart of the capital are quite tangible.

The people of Gravel Heights and Tredegar Park know only too well about that.

Still, ask most 'Spain' residents and they will tell you that while they may move somewhere else eventually, right now it's home and they would like to see it better.

Additional information sourced from Pieces of the Past, published in The Gleaner of May 19, 2003.

Fruit and vegetable stalls like this are a common sight in the Old Capital. - Contributed