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THE ITALIAN PRESENCE IN SANTO DOMINGO, 1492-1900
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building for over twenty years. According to Vicioso, “The symmetrical layout of the architectural plan and
the double-arched loggias on both façades of the palace add a particularly Renaissance feel to the structure,
which can be considered the first work of the Italian Renaissance in the Americas.”
3
A decade later, the construction of another emblematic building in the city of Santo Domingo was initiat-
ed upon the orders of the first resident bishop in this city, Alessandro Geraldini, a native of Amelia, Umbria,
a town located in the center of the Italian Peninsula. Geraldini was appointed bishop of Santo Domingo by
King Charles I of Spain, on November 23, 1516. He arrived in this city on September 17, 1519, and he died
on March 8, 1524. Consequently, he was never able to see completion of the cathedral that he planned as his
episcopal see, the model for which followed late Gothic architecture, as such a unique example of its type in
the Americas.
Among his many letters, Renaissance man Geraldini left an account of his voyages (
Itinerarium ad regiones
sub aequinoctiali plaga constitutas
) which contains vivid descriptions of the exploitation of the indigenous peo-
ples by the Spanish
encomenderos
. Struck by the cruelty with which the natives were treated, he fell into conflict
with the governor of the island, Rodrigo de Figueroa, and he wrote numerous letters to the Pope denouncing
these many cruelties and injustices.
Geraldini’s arrival in Santo Domingo coincided with the coronation of the new emperor of the Holy Ro-
man Empire, Charles V, who three years prior had been crowned Charles I, the monarch of all Hispanic king-
doms, at the young age of sixteen. For his first coronation, then-prince Charles traveled to Spain from Flanders
where he had been raised, accompanied by a large retinue of Flemish courtiers. In August of 1518, this new
monarch granted one of these courtiers, Laurent de Gouvenot, a monopoly license to import 4,000 African
slaves to Española and the West Indies to offset the labor shortage caused by the accelerated decimation of the
indigenous population.
Gouvenot sold that license to some Genoese slave traders, the merchants Adán Vivaldo and Valián de
Forne, who in turn ceded it to the Casa Centuriona company established in Spain, the owners of which were
also Genoa natives: Gaspar, Esteban and Jácome Centurión. This is the reason why this operation was known
as the “
Asiento
of the Genoese.” With this authorization, these Genoese men became the primary importers
of African slaves in the Americas for over a decade, despite the fact that the Spanish Crown did not honor the
monopoly and granted other licenses to individual dealers, among them the German company belonging to
the Welser family.
In addition to trafficking slaves, the Centurións were also involved in the sugar business in Española. One
of them named Melchor owned a sugar cane mill in the outskirts of Santo Domingo that was operated by
administrators residing on the island.
There is information that the Centurións and other Genoa natives served as lenders to the owners of the
sugar cane mills on the island and that they operated as sugar brokers, assuming responsibility for the expor-
tation of this commodity to Northern Europe. These slaves were essential for the expansion of the sugar in-
dustry that began to develop in 1518, just as the labor force was showing signs of its final extinction. A lending
policy to those
encomenderos
who wanted to switch from mining to sugar production encouraged many to
become manufacturers of candies. Due to the licenses granted by the king, slave labor was guaranteed.
In 1520, the authorities in Española reported the construction of six new mills, three of which were al-
ready producing sugar. These first plants used enslaved labor composed of a few hundred indigenous people
that were exploited by their owners and several hundred enslaved Africans imported, beginning in 1518. By
1527, there were already twenty-five plants operating at full capacity. Their owners had made various deals
to amass the necessary capital. In addition to the loans granted by the Crown, some investors sold properties.
Some joined together into companies of up to four shareholders, while others became indebted to Genoese
merchants from the Casa Centuriona company established in Seville.
The connection with this company is explained by the fact that the Genoese had experience selling Med-
iterranean sugar throughout Europe. Slaves were a very important component in the investment for estab-