History of Port-au-Prince Trivia Quiz

Answer: Taino

The Taino People are believed to have arrived from Venezuela millennia before the arrival of the Europeans. They were ruled locally by a cacique, a chief or king type ruler. The Taino were enemies of the Carib People who lived on many of the other nearby islands.

The Taino lived primarily inland to avoid been seen or invaded by the Caribs. Within decades of the arrival of Europeans, almost all, if not all, the Taino People in Haiti had died.

Answer: His sister, Anacaona

Bohechio, who was cacique when Christopher Columbus sailing for Spain arrived, had no children and was succeeded in his role as cacique by his sister Anacaona. During her rule, the Spanish intermarried with the Taino in Xaragua (the local name of the settlement in what is now Port-au-Prince). Anacaona's husband was Caonabo, also a cacique and a fierce warrior who was captured by the Spanish in 1496.

Answer: Nicolas de Ovando

The history between the Taino and the Spanish was tense. The Spanish had previously invaded Taino settlements, raped women and committed other atrocities including murdering Caonabo. However, during Anacaona's reign the Spanish seemed to make peace with the Taino.

In 1503, Spanish Governor Nicolas de Ovando feared an insurrection and during a feast in his honor, he and his crew captured the caciques, trapped them in a hut and burned the hut down. Anacaona's life was spared for about a year until she was hanged in 1504.

It is not clear from a historical perspective is de Ovando actually feared a rebellion or if this was part of his plans all along. Accounts from the Spanish at the time, indicated the Taino were taken by surprised at the attack but evidence of heavy Spanish casualties during the battle indicate elsewise.

Answer: Tortuga

Although Spain had long abandoned Haiti, there was still a small Spanish population living there. French filibusters (similar to pirates) from the island of Tortuga decided to settle in Haiti when Tortuga became too crowded as piracy activity increased heavily.

The Spanish, however, still claimed Hispaniola for themselves and waged war against the French. The French easily crushed the Spanish and Spain ceded its claim. This area of the Caribbean quickly became well known for its heavy pirate activity.

Answer: True

The 1770 Earthquake nearly destroyed the newly founded city of Port-au-Prince and many buildings collapsed. However, there were clear warnings of an eminent earthquake and many people were able to leave the buildings before they collapsed. Only about 200 people in Port-au-Prince died in the earthquake itself.

However, the aftermath was far deadlier. A famine soon followed caused partially by the massive amounts of slaves who escaped during the chaotic earthquake. Thousands of people, including 15,000 slaves, died of hunger. Further contributing to the death count was tainted meat (unclear if intentional or not) the Spanish had donated to the populace to aid in the famine.

This meat killed at least 15,000 more people.

Answer: Jean-Jacques Dessalines

Jean-Jacques Dessalines was the first emperor of Haiti after independence. He was a close ally of Toussaint Louverture's during the Haitian Revolution which saw Haitian Independence and an end to slavery. Dessalines, while a popular leader during the revolution, proved to be polarizing amongst those in his administration. He was labeled a tyrant and introduced a system of forced conscription or forced labor which to many recently freed slaves felt very similar to the slavery they had just been liberated from.

Dessalines was assassinated in 1806 in unknown circumstances. There are many tales about his assassinated including that he was ambushed. No one can agree on just how he died. His death, however, split Haiti into two as there was no central leadership and there was no agreement on how to govern the new country.

Answer: USA

The United States long had its sights on Haiti as the latter was seen to be strategically located in the Caribbean and was notoriously unstable politically. Things heated up in 1915 when President Jean Vilbrun Guillaume Sam ordered the execution of former President Oreste Zamor. A rebellion broke out against Sam who was eventually lynched outside the French Embassy.

The Americans saw the lynching of Sam as anti-American and President Wilson ordered an invasion to protect the interests of U.S. businesses in Haiti, specifically that of the Haitian American Sugar Company.

Answer: No

Neither of the two raids against American occupiers in Port-au-Prince were successful. The first Battle of Port-au-Prince in 1919 was stopped almost instantly when American Marines and their Haitian allies received forewarning. The Second Battle of Port-au-Prince in 1920 was larger and lasted longer but that too failed to make any significant dent on American control.

The American Occupation of Haiti ended in 1934 when both Americans and their Haitian allies began feeling uneasy about the occupation. President Hoover opposed the way marines were handling peaceful protests, which often resulted in the Marines firing into the crowds. Haitian President Stenio Vincent, who always opposed the occupation, felt it was simply time the USA left Haiti.

Answer: Church

St. Jean Bosco Church in Port-au-Prince was the home parish of future president Jean-Bertrand Aristide who was then a priest. Aristide's preaching was seen as a major factor in the ousting of the notorious dictator Baby Doc in 1986. In 1988, a paramilitary group called Tonton Macoute carried out a massacre in Aristide's church during a packed mass. Dozens of people were killed (although the total various from 13 to 50).

The massacre and its aftermath (in which little was done to find the attackers who intercepted the airwaves and bragged about it on television without disguising themselves) led to the ousting of President Henri Namphy, an ally of Baby Doc.

Answer: Much of the transportation infrastructure was completely destroyed

As many as 316,000 people died in the earthquake and subsequent cholera outbreak. The earthquake's hypocenter was located close to the Toussaint Louverture International Airport which was heavily damaged; and other ports and docks were destroyed. This significantly slowed down recovery efforts as incoming planes and ships had to enter without the use of radar for the most part.

Many travelers opted to go through the Dominican Republic, which also caused delays.