Ingenio Boca De Nigua - Bajos de Haina

Located in San Gregorio, San Cristobal, colonial structure abandoned in time. These ruins must be restored. Attention authorities, PATRIMONIO COLONIAL, TURISMO!!! NO WARNING, BATHING AND CARE, SECURITY IN THE AREA. By the severity of the work and the high level of exploitation, the slaves who were assigned to this ingenuity did not go from seven years of work. Only the memory remains The ruins are part of a set of colonial works, among which are Las Ruinas del ingenio Diego Caballero, and the San Gregorio Church. This building, owned by the Duke of Aranda, is a construction dating from the sixteenth century and is an essential part of the first colonial ingenuities of America, when the island was under the Spanish domain. Boca de Nigua’s ancient ingenuity was declared by the United Nations (Unesco) as a Cultural Heritage of Humanity, within the project “The First Sugar Colonial Ingenuities of America”, in 2005, at present only its rubble and stones are seen. Little remains of the place where the historic rebellion of black slaves against the Spaniards took place in 1796. The historical ingenuity is located in the municipality of San Gregorio de Nigua, San Cristobal province, surrounded, east by the stream Agua Dulce and the sections Ingenio Nuevo and Sainaguá, north by the Arroyo Seco and the section Hatillo and south by the Caribbean Sea. In the place was celebrated, religiously, the “Festival of Cimarronage”, on October 30 of every year until 2010, when they stopped performing it. Loneliness and silence are the only hosts, they welcome and accompany the visitor throughout the short journey. The area is woody and fresh and judging by the conditions of the chart, the cleaning and conditioning brigades fulfill their task. Along with the ingenuity of Diego Caballero, Engombe's wit, Palavé's ingenuity, Our Lady of Monte Alegre or La Duquesa and Sanate's ingenuity, was nominated by the Ministry of Culture to Unesco as a world heritage within the project. Ingenio Don Diego Caballero El Antiguo Ingenio de Diego Caballero is a set of structures and buildings that during the period of the colony was dedicated to the industrial manufacture of sugar cane using the water force (hydrolic engineering). It occupies an area of about one square kilometer. On the hill, you can identify the remains of buildings and detechnical structures that composed the Ingenio de Diego Caballero: the water mill or ingenuity, semicircular space limited by brick walls where the grinding wheel was located by the water of the river Nigua, through acequias; the house of boilers, where the structure of the fogons used in brick is still observed Other remnants of the ingenuity are suspected to be covered by vegetation in neighbouring land, currently owned by private property.

Beautiful architecture. Quiet, easily accessible, just 40 min from Santo Domingo

[SPEAKING DOWN] The ruins of Boca de Nigua Sugar Mill are a historic site located in the San Gregorio de Nigua Community, San Cristóbal Province. This sugar mill was one of the most important ones back in year 1600, when the sugar industry took off in the island. It was built in a colonial style in the XVI Century and belonged to a Spanish marquise. It’s also an important landmark of the anti-slavery struggle; On October 30, 1796, the most important rebellion of black slaves against their Spanish oppressors took place in this place. Nowadays it’s a very well cared and clean ruins but its lack of security in the surroundings should be taken in note. If you try plan to visit, you better go in a very large group or hire some security. [SPEAKING] The ruins of Boca de Nigua is a historic place located in the community San Gregorio de Nigua, San Cristobal province. This sugar mill was one of the most important for taking off and consolidating the sugar industry on the western side of La Hispaniola. It was built in the 16th century. It is also an important symbol in the anti-slavery struggle, it was precisely in this place where the great most important and transcendental rebellion of black slaves against their Spanish oppressors took place. Today, the historical ruins are a well preserved and careful historical attraction. However, the lack of security in the installation and its surroundings, turn the old ingenuity into a place where people could be susceptible to theft. You must take this into account when you visit it, so that you take the measures of place or go in the company of people who guarantee them security.

One of the most interesting things to see within half an hour of Santo Domingo, a sugar mill from the 1600s renovated in the 70’s. Wish they’d include more facts and history at the site, but there is some information online you can look up on your own and supplement the trip.

This place is very impressive and majestic, I invite you to discover the ruins of America's first ingenuity, Cuna Azucarera of the new world.