First Person: Exploring History, Migration & Identity in the Dominican Republic

Dr. Maripaz Garcia, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Spanish & Portuguese, took a group of her students to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, during spring break through the MacMillan Center Course Travel Abroad grant. The country’s rich history as the first European settlement in the Americas motivated her destination selection, so the class could build upon their learning units of history, migration, and identity. Here is Garcia's first-person account of the trip. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

The trip added an authentic aspect to the learning units that we explored in class up to that moment, namely, history, migration, and identity. Santo Domingo was the perfect spot to examine three important historical events: the impact of [Christopher] Columbus’ arrival, the independence from Haiti [in 1844], and [Rafael] Trujillo’s dictatorship. Regarding migration and identity, we discussed the relations with Haiti, the impact of African slavery, and issues related to race and patriotism.

We stayed at the Colonial City, the capital’s historic center, where most sites were within walking distance. These included museums, monuments, buildings, ruins, and a chocolate factory, where we had the chance to learn about chocolate and create our own tablets (this country is a leader in producing and exporting cacao). In addition, we ventured out of the Colonial City to explore two particular sites: a park with natural wells and a lighthouse museum dedicated to Christopher Columbus. In this last site, we had the opportunity to examine several artifacts and art from a myriad of other countries, some of which we had discussed in class, such as the story of the Virgin of Altagracia or silver jewelry made by the Mapuche (indigenous people from Chile). We also visited a room dedicated to [local news outlet] Agencia EFE’s most iconic photographs of renowned historical moments from all over the world. Many of the students mentioned that the museum they enjoyed the most was the one dedicated to Dominicans’ resistance to Trujillo’s dictatorial regime.

The itinerary was prepared by those students who were not able to come on the trip with us. I gave them a list of sites I wanted to explore during the three full days of our trip, and they researched the places and prepared a Canva presentation for their classmates. Luckily, we were able to accomplish all our objectives every single day. Furthermore, the itinerary gave students plenty of free time to explore on their own and find the topic of their course project. For this project, they had to take pictures of cultural products and cultural practices that called their attention to prepare a photo journal that they will present at the end of April. Some students even interviewed some locals for their project. The topics can be as varied as the tiles used on street name signs, architectural features, cuisine, clothing styles, the Spanish legacy, sense of identity, infrastructure, views of colonization, environmental problems, and so on.

One of my most wonderful surprises, though, was to discover that students spoke Spanish all the time, even when I was not present. This was not asked of them, but they took the responsibility to do so on their own. I admit that I was happily surprised. I recommend other faculty members apply for this grant since it provides an invaluable component that cannot be fairly described with words.

What Dr. Garcia’s Students had to Say about the Trip

“This trip was my first time visiting the Caribbean. There is so much culture and living history to absorb within Santo Domingo. It was a surreal experience visiting crucial historical sites such as Fortaleza Ozama, Calle las Damas, the first street in the Americas, and the first cathedral of the Americas.” -- Christine, Timothy Dwight ‘28

“Visiting many historical sites, enjoying the Dominican cuisine, and conversing with locals allowed me to contextualize the knowledge about the Dominican Republic that I have learned in the classroom.” -- Laila, Morse ‘27

“Upon returning I’ve been continually conducting more complex and lengthy conversations with my Spanish-speaking friends. This trip has given me further motivation to continue developing my language skills and I am extremely grateful for the experiences the MacMillan Center has provided.” -- Matthew, Benjamin Franklin ‘27