Dis 'N Dat

DID YOU KNOW?

This section contains motley group of Jamaican Heritage trivia. Items that we think are important but fall into no particular category. We hope you will enjoy browsing them.

Maima-Seville Heritage Park

MAIMA-SEVILLE Heritage Park represents a microcosm of Jamaican Culture.

Ministry of Education and Culture Regional Director
Rueben Grey (right) views the exhibition on aspects
of our heritage along with some teachers, at the launch
of a public education programme in manchester
schools held at the Bishop Gibson High School.

This is the heritage site that truly embraces the Jamaican motto - out of many one people. It is here that the Tainos(Arawaks), the Spanish, the Africans and the English lived, worked and died. Researchers from the Universities of Madrid and Syracuse and our own Trust have confirmed that these cultures lived here and intermingled at different periods of our history from 1494 onwards.

The Park was reopened in May 1994 in celebration of the five hundred years of our history since Christopher Columbus landed on the shores of Maima-Seville. The Park was reopened with a restored Great House in which a graphic and informative exhibition is displayed. The exhibition covers the five hundred years from 1494 to 1994. In addition the grounds were landscaped, story boards were installed, a historic wall adjoining the Great House was rebuilt and a forty five minutes guided tour was inaugurated covering the historic sites adjacent to the Great House.

The Maima-Seville Heritage Park was established as a site for heritage education and heritage attraction for both local and foreign visitors. It is the belief of the Trust that Jamaicans must first know about our history before we seek to inform outsiders about it.

In the first two (2) years (1994-95) the attendance of visitors (local and foreign) was relatively low with the exception of school children. During 1996 and 1997 the attendance increased significantly.

Nineteen Ninety Seven (1997) experienced a one hundred and twenty two percent increase over nineteen ninety six (1996) moving from five thousand and sixty (5060) visitors to eleven thousand two hundred and fifty three (11,253) visitors.

Since the reopening of the Park the guided tour has been expanded to include an African-Jamaican house and kitchen garden and Taino House as well as kitchen garden. The landscaping of the property has been significantly upgraded and story boards has been placed at all historic sites on the entire property.

Mr. & Mrs. Ted Williams of the private sector have established a very popular project which provides the visitor with horse riding experience in an authentically historic and environmentally satisfying setting. In addition, Mr. & Mrs. Lance Neita of the private sector have established a gift and refreshment shop that specializes in Seville specific products.

The operators of the Park are cognizant that community involvement is a critical variable in the development of nations, societies,, institutions and organizations. Accordingly, the operators have organized special events in which the members of the community can participate. In addition, opportunities are available for individuals to celebrate wedding ceremonies and other community events. An advisory committee consisting of representatives of the community and the management has also been established.

It is expected to eventually develop the Maima-Seville Heritage Park into the highest quality informative and attractive heritage park in Jamaica. The exhibition will be modernized and expanded. This will include technologically attractive environment where students can do their research.

The guided tours will be expanded and diversified where the visitors will be offered choices. The entire Park will

As part of its heritage education programme,
the JNHT hosts a public lecture series
each year at headquarters House.
Here students and adults listen keenly
to the lecture on our heritage.

become more informative, attractive and development will take place along thematic lines. Full advantage will be taken of the environmental setting for walking and educational trails. Restoration of such places as the overseers house and the coach house will be given priority so they can be used for practical purposes. Landscaping of the property will continue so that it can be added to the attractiveness to the area. Involvement of the private sector will increase in the development and operating of projects.

The JNHT will also seek to increase opportunities to provide the public with cultural and heritage events that involve collaboration between the cultural agencies such as the mento yard that was held at Seville in October of this year.

It is expected that as Seville Heritage Park is developed along the above paths, it will not only become a major heritage education centre but will become a premier heritage tourism attraction site.

Past

Maima Seville is believed to be one of the most important heritage sites in the Western Hemisphere and could be interpreted as the genesis of modern Jamaica. Four distinct cultures existed at Maima Seville namely: the Taino, the Spanish, the English, and the African, and therefore this is a place which truly symbolises Jamaica's National Motto "Out of many one people." Maima Seville was the first Spanish capital in Jamaica and the third in the Caribbean. The Maima Seville Heritage Park was officially opened to the public on May 5, 1994, with an interpretative exhibition designed to highlight the four distinct cultures linked to its past. The aims and objectives were to educate the public on the rich heritage of the Seville site.

Present

At present Seville has moved from 2 cultural events annually to 5 with hopes of improvements. The upgrading of the Seville Product is very important at this time, as Seville is poised for the new Millenium. We are ready to take on new marketing strategies which focus on both local and international visitors. Seville is at a central point on the North Coast where it should be able to attract enough visitors, thereby ultimately reaching a goal of self-maintenance. Seville's visitorship has increased steadily over the past 5 years of up to 125%. Visitors include a vast majority of children.