National Geographic : 1931 Jan
HISPANIOLA REDISCOVERED and present a formidable barrier less easily passed than the shallow river. The contrast between Santo Domingo and Haiti is so apparent, even at the very frontier, that it cannot fail to be noted by the most casual observer. This is well ex emplified by the respective languages of the two countries. Throughout Santo Do mingo a Spanish is spoken which in idiom and pronunciation is perhaps no farther from Castilian than is American from British-Isles English. Step, or, rather, wade, across the Massacre, and the ear is assailed by a patois which is an African woof threaded through a French warp. The degree to which Santo Domingo and Haiti have retained the languages of their mother countries may well be taken as an index to their respective cultural traditions. In these Santo Domingo is Spanish, Haiti is Franco-Haitian. The Sanchez Highway, the second of the Dominican Republic's great arterial roads, starts at Santo Domingo City, skirts the south coast to Azua, and then strikes northwest to the Haitian border, where it connects with the Haitian highway to Port au Prince. CORTEZ WAS A NOTARY AT AZUA Azua's chief claim to fame is the fact that the notarial shingle of Hernando Cor tez adorned the town before the embryo conquistador of Mexico decided that his talents were being wasted here, and that the sword, if not mightier, was at least more profitable than his particular pen. To the layman the most interesting relic left by Hispaniola's pre-Columbian inhab itants is the Corral de los Indios. This "Playground of the Indians" is situated on the flat prairie near the town of San Juan. It can best be described as a circu lar race track about one-half mile in cir cumference. The "track" is about fifteen feet wide and is defined by two rows of large bowlders. From the tradition that the Indian queen Anacaona viewed field games of her subjects from a throne in the center of the inclosure, it is also known as "Anacaona's Circus" (see illustration, page 107). The traveler in Santo Domingo finds its people among the most kindly and cour teous of the Western World. Whether up through the mountains to Puerto Plata and Monte Cristi or along the coast to Azua, or following the Mella Highway, it is the universal custom to pass the time of day with those one meets along the way. "Saluda" is the customary expression, as common as the "howdy-do" of our own horse-and-buggy days. One learns much of the temperaments and outlooks of the travelers he meets on the highways by the way saluda is uttered. It often implies much more than the lit eral "good health." It may be abbrevi ated to "s'lud," which might be translated as a curt "hello," but is more often sung out in a more expansive manner. Here comes a dusty traveler whose lilting "sa lu-u -u -u -da-a -a -a" gives us the impression that here is a born optimist, whose heart is as light as his baggage. In the three long-drawn-out syllables he amply conveys the idea of "Well, for the land's sakes, howdy! You're sure looking fine. Grand weather we're having." The motor buses on the highways of Santo Domingo to-day have not the re spectability of those we know at home, but rather possess the standing of our almost forgotten jitneys of a decade or so ago. They are known colloquially as "gua guas"-a term that means "bargains." No one with the slightest sense of caste to maintain would think of risking his repu tation by being seen in one of them. MOTOR-BUS TRAVEL SUPPLANTS HIKING Intercity travel by these buses has be come so cheap that the old-time cross country hiker has almost disappeared, so that only occasionally one sees walking groups; but when they are encountered you may be sure that each hiker has his sleeping hammock neatly rolled and slung over one shoulder. This is a badge of re spectability-a visible means of support, so to speak. He may be barefoot and ragged, but so long as he carries a ham mock he escapes the suspicion of being an irresponsible tramp. Voodooism seems never to have found fertile soil in Santo Domingo. There are some customs, however, which make one wonder as to their origin. One of these is the habit of adorning plants of the Spanish bayonet type with eggshells (see page 95).