Hato Mayor Province

Hato Mayor is one of the 32 provinces of the Dominican Republic; It is part of the Eastern Region, together with the provinces of Monte Plata, La Romana, San Pedro de Macorís, El Seibo and La Altagracia. The provincial capital is the city of Hato Mayor del Rey, commonly known as Hato Mayor.

It is one of the most recent provinces in the country; It was created on December 3, 1984 by means of Law No. 245. Its first authorities were chosen in the elections of May 16, 1986. The province was made up of the municipalities of Hato Mayor del Rey, Sabana de la Mar and Valley. Hato Mayor was declared the first Eco-tourism province of the Dominican Republic, through Law 77-02 of June 19, 2002, since it contains ecosystems of great value for the preservation of the country's biodiversity.

Toponymy

The name of this province dates from the beginning of the Spanish colonization. Its origin is linked to the fact that a part of the land where it stands was used for raising cattle or herds, this being the largest in the region, owned by the Spanish crown, its first owner being King Carlos. I of Spain and Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire.

Both the lands of Hato Mayor del Rey and those of Hato de la Pringamosa, Hato Nuevo, Hato Viejo, Los Hatillos, Juan Jiménez, La Piedra Rodada or La Rodá, El Rodeo, Fió-Fió and Las Palmillas, They were part of the Mayorazgo de Dávila, instituted in the city of Santo Domingo on August 23, 1554 by the Alderman Don Francisco Dávila, in the person of his nephew Gaspar Dávila, son of his sister Ana Dávila, wife of Hernando de Berlonga. The validity of this mayorazgo lasted until the beginning of the 20th century. In almost four centuries, the Hato Mayor had some 19 owners, possessors or heirs, passing from the first owner, King Carlos V, to the hands of Francisco Dávila, his last heiress being Mrs. Maria de las Mercedes de la Rocha Landeche y Coca, who died in 1904.

So when it ceased to be the property of the King of Spain, tradition maintained the area's name Hato Mayor del Rey, leaving the name recorded in history, until it was officially instituted when the province was created in 1984.

Festivities of the province

This province dressed up from September 23 to 30, 1985 when the first patron saint festivities were celebrated in style "Dedicated to Our Lady of Las Mercedes (...) after Hato Mayor was promoted from Municipality to Province". They organized "popular games, queens, religious services, talks, presentation of folk groups, caravans and what was called the Plaza de la Cultura, for which a day was dedicated to each municipality in the eastern region of the country"

History

The oldest inhabitants of the territory of Hato Mayor, and of the island, belonged to the group known today as Archaic (or Preceramic due to the absence of pottery).. They were hunter-gatherer groups that lived preferably on the coasts where mangroves abounded. In Hato Mayor, the area inhabited by this group was the coast of Los Haitises, in the Bay of Samaná.

Later, the region was occupied by other Arawak indigenous groups. In the area of Los Haitises National Park, remains of the aboriginal cultures of the island have been found. Also in Capote, Don López section, near the city of Hato Mayor del Rey. Petroglyphs abound in the Funfún cave.

When the Spanish arrived, the territory of Hato Mayor was an integral part of the Higüey cacicazgo, governed by the cacique Cayacoa.

Colonial Period

Upon arriving in Hispaniola in 1502, the new governor Nicolás de Ovando distributed the land to King Carlos V of Spain and Germany.

King Carlos V of Spain and Germany, possessor of the lands of Hato Mayor, passing these to Francisco Dávila for his administration.

The territories of Hato Mayor were divided into nine herds separated by rivers, mountains, and forests, and were destined for the raising of cattle, horses, and sheep. These herds were; Alonsillo herd, Rodeo herd, Pringamosa herd, Anguilla herd, Azuí herd, Jíbaros herd, Fiofío herd, Juan Jiménez and Mayor del Rey herd, the largest of all.

In 1520, Hato Mayor del Rey was founded by Francisco Dávila, as a portion of land dedicated to livestock and agriculture. The first settlers of Hato Mayor were black slaves brought from the African continent by Francisco Dávila.

Francisco Dávila, in his position as Royal Treasurer and Perpetual Regidor in Hispaniola, established the Mayorazgo de los Dávila on August 23, 1554 in the city of Santo Domingo, with the presence of his nephew Gaspar Dávila, causing that These lands will form part of the extensive Mayorazgo de los Dávila.

Over time, Hato Mayor del Rey passed through the hands of various heirs and owners, but it was not until 1746 when Don Antonio Coca y Landeche Vevers, who was perpetual administrator of the Dávila Mayorazgo, founded Hato Mayor del Rey as a town, since he had erected a hermitage dedicated to Nuestra Señora de la Mercedes to encourage the people around the hacienda to practice the Catholic religion.

In the eastern part of the country, one of the most brutal wars between the Spanish and the indigenous people took place, its effects being felt in the Hato Mayor area. At the end of the war, the island's governor, Nicolás de Ovando, ordered the construction of two villages in the region, one of which was El Seibo, to which would belong what is traditionally known as Hato Mayor del Rey and other herds that They currently form the province of Hato Mayor.

In 1785 in what is now the Hato Mayor province, there was only one important population, which was Sabana de la Mar, originally founded with Canarian families in the first months of the year 1760. Around 1783 between Sabana de la Mar and Samaná there were about 500 people.

Hato Mayor and National Independence

The role of the people of Hatomayor in the process of National Independence was very unique. The version that says that the eastern part of the country was where the separation of Haiti was first proclaimed is old. This event occurred precisely in Hato Mayor, on the morning of February 27, 1844.^{[citation required]}

The events linked to that action began in El Seibo at dawn that same day. A group led by Pedro Santana decided to seize the city's Arms Command and speak out in favor of the separation, which was closely linked to the plans that existed to pronounce the city of Santo Domingo for the same cause, on the night of the 27th. February. The seizure of the command of El Seibo took place in the early hours of the morning, against the resistance of the commander of the plaza.

At the last minute, the triumphant separatists decided to move to Hato Mayor, without making the declaration of separation. It has been said that the action scheduled for hours of the night in Santo Domingo will not prosper. When the separatists arrived in Hato Mayor, in the morning, they did make the proclamation, dismissed and imprisoned the Haitian authorities. A Dominican flag was raised, the making of which is attributed to Ana Rambal and Rosalía Bastardo de Guillermo.

After this act was carried out in the province of Hato Mayor, on the night of that same day in the city of Santo Domingo, with the absence of Juan Pablo Duarte, National Independence was proclaimed by Francisco del Rosario Sánchez, Tomás Bobadilla and Briones, Ramón Matías Mella and other patriots, who would express to the Haitian authorities their indestructible resolution to be free and independent, at the cost of our lives and our interests, without any threat being able to retract our will.

After the New Republic was formed, the separatists knew that Haitian troops would not surrender and that they would fight for the territory they claimed was theirs. For this reason, several invasions were carried out in which the Hatomayorenses had a heroic participation.

Battle of Azua

On March 14, 1844, General Pedro Santana left for the border with his army of 2,000 men, including personal friends, hateros and huntsmen from El Seibo, Hato Mayor and Higüey. On March 19, 1844, the Battle of Azua was fought, which was operated under the superior control of General Pedro Santana accompanied by Antonio Duvergé. The center of the Dominican defense was commanded by Juan Esteban Ceara, Lucas Díaz from Hatomayor and Luis Álvarez, who had an artillery piece and the bulk of the troops of huntsmen and hateros.

Among the generals from Hatomayor were Pedro Guillermo, Genaro Díaz, Eugenio Miches, Santiago Silvestre, Ramón de González, Donato de Mota, Isidro Astacio, Silvestre del Carpio, Quintino Peguero, Gregorio de Los Reyes, Santiago Mota, Valentín Mejía, Lucas Santana, José Mota, Luciano Peña, Juan Mazara and Domingo Peguero.

Star Battle

The Estrelleta Battle was another where the Hatomayorenses had a notable participation. This battle was fought on September 17, 1845. On September 16, General José Joaquín Puello, accompanied by General José María Cabral y Luna, received infantry soldiers from three brigades and occupied the hills of La Estrelleta.

Among these soldiers were the generals from Hatomayor, Pedro Guillermo, Eugenio Miches, Genaro Díaz, Santiago Silvestre, Ramón de González, Santiago Mota, Donato de Mota, Gregorio de Los Reyes, José Mota, Valentín Mejía, among others who had a historical participation.

Battle of The Number

The Battle of El Número was fought on April 17, 1849. Santana organized the different routes of the battle and then placed himself in a defensive position, but the invaders under the command of General Jeannot Jean Francois did not give up for which the battle was not decisive.

In this battle participated the generals Quintino Peguero, Pedro Guillermo, Silvestre del Carpio, Domingo Peguero, Eugenio Miches, Gregorio de Los Reyes, Santiago Mota, Ramón de González, José Mota, among other people from Hatomayor.

Battle of the Races

The Battle of Las Carreras was fought on April 21, 1849. Led by Pedro Santana, this battle took place 86 kilometers from the city of Santo Domingo, near the Ocoa River. Santana was victorious after three days of combat.

The generals Pedro Guillermo, Quintino Peguero, Lucas Santana, Eugenio Miches, Isidro Astacio, Juan Mazara, Santiago Mota, Silvestre del Carpio, José Mota, Luciano Peña, among others, participated in this battle.

Battle of Santomé

The Battle of Santomé was fought on December 22, 1855 in a savannah located on the outskirts of the city of San Juan de la Maguana. This invasion was ordered by the Haitian emperor Faustino Soulouque, under the pretext of preventing the eastern part from being annexed to the United States.

It was commanded by General José María Cabral and directed by Generals Pablo Contreras and Bernandino Pérez. In this battle participated the generals from Hatomayor Genaro Díaz, Quintino Peguero, Santiago Silvestre, Isidro Astacio, Valentín Mejía, Lucas Santana, Juan Mazara, among other brave hateros.

Hato Mayor and the Restoration War

Just as Hato Mayor went ahead in the proclamation of the separation of Haiti, it also did the same with the proclamation of the annexation of the country to Spain in 1861. Effectively on March 12, 1861], Colonel Manuel Santana proclaimed annexing the town; while the rest of the country did the same as of March 18.

There is also no doubt that when the Restoration War began in 1863, the people of Hatomayor did not take long to rise up in arms in favor of this movement; Not only this, but men from this population, such as Pedro Guillermo and Genaro Díaz, promoted the widespread launching in the province of El Seibo, which then covered the entire eastern part of the country and was precisely the home of Pedro Santana, architect of the annexation. Therefore, in this area he exerted a great influence. It was not uncommon for the great leader of El Seibo to take this disaffection to his leadership to heart and turn the East into the scene of his fight against the restorers.

Since October 1863, when Pedro Guillermo and Genaro Díaz, among others, revolted in the East, the Restoration War gained extraordinary momentum. With the arrival of 1864, the situation worsened, and there were fighting throughout the area, including in Hato Mayor.

San Miguel Fight

In the eastern region, the initial blow of the protests against the Spanish regime was in the Hato Mayor region. This was the combat of San Miguel. Santiago Silvestre commanded, in this battle that lasted nine hours, where the Hatomayorenses defeated the Spanish.

Battle of Saint Nicholas

On March 5, 1864, the battle of San Nicolás, initiated by Father Domingo Feliciano, was fought on the grounds of Yerba Buena. The battle lasted more than 9 hours, where the troops of Dos Ríos, commanded by Laureana Vásquez to assist her husband Antonio Guzmán, went into action in the afternoon, and where Genaro Díaz was also fighting and Colonel Valentín Mejía distinguished himself. In this battle there were more than 3,000 Spaniards, commanded by Brigadier Don Baldomero de Las Callejas, where they were humiliated by Dominican troops.

Battle of Sabana Burro

On May 4, 1864, at dawn, the battle of Sabana Burro was fought at the junction of the Higuamo and Guamira rivers. Genaro Díaz was in charge of this battle. The restorers sent a column to the center of the savannah to cannonade the Spanish. Genaro had an outstanding participation with the skillful handling of the saber, making the tricolor flag wave gracefully again under the sky of the Homeland. The Hatomayorenses defeated the Spanish, when they acquired one of the two Spanish cannons.

Battle of Mata Palacio

On May 27, 1864, the battle of Mata Palacio was fought, led by generals Pedro Guillermo and Víctor de los Reyes. It also had the participation of Genaro Díaz and Santiago Silvestre, where the Spanish had a lot of casualties in this event.

Battle of the Plaza

On November 23, 1864, the battle of the Plaza was fought. This was with the participation of restorers from the East and from Cibao, who were surrounded by the Spaniards in the Public Square of the Church of Hato Mayor del Rey. General Pedro Guillermo, like Quintino Peguero, had an excellent participation in this battle, lowering the Spanish flag and raising the Dominican one. The Hatomayorenses defeated the Spaniards in such a way that the Spaniards buried their goods in the patios and lots.

Machado's Fight

Likewise, the Combat of Machado was fought in the community of Machado, near the city of Hato Mayor del Rey in 1864. In this battle General Quintino Peguero had a heroic participation since he defeated the Spanish with little ammunition.

Hato Mayor Heroes

Hato Mayor, like all the provinces of the Dominican Republic, had prominent personalities during the 19th century who participated in the National Independence and the Restoration War. They gave their lives for their country and their people, defending the interests of their nation as Juan Pablo Duarte always wanted.

In addition, Hato Mayor has the honor of having had the first couple of father and son who were presidents of the Republic.

Cesáreo Guillermo y Bastardo?.

Presidents of the Republic

• Pedro Guillermo
• Cesáreo Guillermo y Bastardo

Other Heroes

Hato Mayor and the Revolutionary Patriots ‘‘Gavilleros’’

When the first US intervention in the Dominican Republic (1916-1922); a group of nationalist men and women opposed it and raised their voices in protest.

The misnamed ‘‘Gavilleros’’ were actually Revolutionary Combatants who fought against the first North American intervention in the Dominican Republic (1916-1922)

From that moment on, they were fiercely persecuted, imprisoned, and tortured. Those who escaped fled to the eastern part of the island and from there organized their resistance. The North Americans labeled them with the nickname of "Gavilleros". They were accused of being robbers and looters and many of them were murdered and others died while being savagely tortured so that they would incriminate themselves and/or expose others. The North American troops combed the whole country disarming the population, but despite everything, there was a group of rebels that remained against the foreign authority. The “Revolutionary Patriots ''Gavilleros''” operated in the eastern part of the country and were made up, to a large extent, of peasants who had been dispossessed of their lands during the heyday of the sugar industry with large foreign capital, beginning at the end of the century XIX and encouraged in the first fifteen years of the century XX. They hid in the mountainous areas and attacked using the guerrilla warfare method, counting on the collaboration of the bulk of the region's population and even with that of the mill administrators themselves who, in order to avoid burning or assault on their fields, warehouses and bateyes, they provided them with money and food.

These Revolutionary Combatants could only be seriously affected when the operations against them had the help of the Dominican soldiers of the National Guard, who did commit outrages and looting to accuse the "Gavilleros" Revolutionary Patriots. In 1922 they accepted a general amnesty offered by the occupation government on the understanding that the Dominican Provisional Government agreed upon in the Hughes-Peynado Plan of that year would be established. Its most important leaders were Vicente Evangelista, Ramón Natera, Martín Peguero, José Piña, Luciano Reyes, Pedro Tolete, Marcial Guerrero and Félix Laureano. Others suffered years of imprisonment and unspeakable humiliation.

The last of these heroes was Don Cayo Báez who was tortured from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head to make him denounce his companions. He miraculously saved his life, after the US troops left him for dead and left him abandoned on the banks of the Camú River in Bonao. I never speak. He died in Bonao in 1992 in absolute misery.

In the early years, the ''Gavilleros'' Revolutionary Patriots carried out minor assaults on peasants to ensure the sustenance of their troops and when a good number of them gathered, they challenged the authority of the government attacking cities as occurred on the 28th December 1909 in La Romana, this was done to attack the interests of the invading Yankee.

The sugar mills began to be attacked after the Bordas government was overthrown in 1914. The sugar companies reached an agreement in August 1915 with the Patriot Revolutionary generals "Gavilleros" Salustiano de Goicochea (Chachá)., Vicente Evangelista (Vicentico) and others by means of which the Revolutionary Patriots "Gavilleros" would not attack the sugar mills in exchange for contracts for the construction of two highways for generals Goicochea and Calcaño, to remove a judicial complaint that weighed on Calcaño, and power of decision in the designation of country guard in the Angelina, Consuelo and Santa Fe sugar mills, in the province of San Pedro de Macorís.

When the first US military occupation took place, which began in 1916 and ended in 1924, the owners of sugar mills asked the Military Governor not to send troops. But at the beginning of 1917, it was decided to send troops to the east, with which the "Gavilleros" Revolutionary Patriot leaders saw their prestige and power threatened as a result of the system of organizing those displaced from their lands by the sugar mills that happened in the area. His reaction was to declare war on US troops.

Hato Mayor became one of the scenes of the struggle of the Patriotas Revolucionarios Patriotas Revolucionarios ‘‘Gavilleros’’. This community was occupied by the intervention troops on January 12, 1917 and, as a consequence of the presence of the "Gavilleros" Revolutionary Patriots, the occupation troops showed up against the community and neighboring places, including Sabana de la Mar, committing all kinds of outrages, fires, indiscriminate killings, hangings, firing squads, imprisonment and torture of all kinds, as well as carrying out the so-called Reconcentration of the population.

From the beginning of the armed struggle, which was started by General Salustiano Goicochea (Cachá), until the end, when General Ramón Natera was the main leader, the confrontation cost many Dominican and American lives. In the first months of 1917, the struggle in the region was very active, which was reduced when General Salustiano Goicochea made an agreement with the North American troops a few weeks after their uprising and Vicente Evangelista (Vicentico) was taken prisoner through a ruse and shot in July 1917.

Revolutionary activities were reactivated in the summer of 1921 with Ramón Natera as leader of the movement.

At the beginning of 1922, Natera and his followers were granted a guarantee of freedom Natera dedicated himself to managing a gallera (a place where cockfights take place) and became a persecutor of the Revolutionary Patriots ''Gavilleros'' He was assassinated after a silly personal argument.

Geography

Location and geographic boundaries

Map of Hato Mayor province following the incorporation of Mango Limpio, dated 4 February 2013.

Political map.

Hato Mayor is located in the Southeast macro-region and within this in the Higüamo region, belonging to the Eastern region of the Dominican Republic. Its astronomical position is as follows: 18° 50' North latitude and 69° 20' West longitude.

It limits to the North with the Bay of Samaná; to the South with the San Pedro de Macorís province; to the East with the province of El Seibo and San Pedro de Macorís; and to the west with the province of Samaná, Monte Plata and San Pedro de Macorís.

Administrative division

The Hato Mayor province has a territorial extension of 1,329.29 km². Due to its extension, it is the 15th province in the country and occupies 2.7 percent of the national territory.

It is divided into three municipalities and four municipal districts. The capital of the province or the main municipality, Hato Mayor del Rey; El Valle and Sabana de la Mar. The municipal districts of Guayabo Dulce, Mata Palacio and Yerba Buena belong to the head municipality; while the Elupina Cordero de Las Cañitas municipal district belongs to the municipality of Sabana de la Mar. The municipality of El Valle does not have a municipal district under its jurisdiction.

Geology

There are three periods in the geological evolution of Hato Mayor: the recent, the Cretaceous, and the Miocene-Pliocene.

During the previous period, the caves or caves of Fún-Fún and Doña Ana would have been formed. The plains that form an arc from San Antonio de Guerra, extending to the southwest of Hato Mayor, and covering La Romana are gravel at bottom, being its boulders, crumbled by glacial action, from ancient geological times, today covered by humus. The chain of mountains located to the east-southeast is of igneous or volcanic origin; and due to its rocky composition, it comes from the area furthest from the center of igneous activity. The Eastern Cordillera, located to the north of the city, is the product of different volcanic eruptions, at times very distant from each other. Basic volcanic rocks appear to the north of Hato Mayor. To the north and west some outcrops of iron ore have been pointed out. The geological classification establishes the existence of undifferentiated volcanic rocks to the north, or limestone and volcanic rocks, calcareous sandstones and clayey schists, characteristic of Los Haitises National Park.

The productive capacity of Hato Mayor soils is well differentiated and with few regular patterns in its spatial distribution. To the northwest, soils with a forestry vocation predominate, which also appear in other parts of the province. There are large areas with vocation soils for pasture without danger of erosion and others for pasture with danger of erosion. As far as land with agricultural vocation is concerned, in the province there are limited areas with excellent potential for agriculture, with other slightly larger areas also with good vocation for agriculture.

On the coast of Hato Mayor there are some geographical features such as the Bahía de la Jina and the points Yabón and Negro.

Relief

View of the Cordillera Oriental in Los Haitises National Park.

Karsica Region or Caliza de Los Haitises

Hato Mayor is essentially a plain where the few undulations of the land, which belongs to the Eastern Cordillera, do not exceed 500 meters above sea level. Located in four geomorphological regions that are: the coastal plain of Sabana de la Mar and Miches, the Pie de Monte and the Eastern Cordillera or Sierra de El Seibo, the Southeastern or Caribbean coastal plain and the Karsic or Limestone region of Los Haitises.

• La Sabana de la Mar and Miches plain It's a fairly narrow strip to the west. The same grows as it advances in opposite direction. It was formed in the pleistocene period of the quaternary era and consists of sedimentary rocks. Focusing on the north, where the municipalities of El Valle and Sabana de la Mar are located, and the municipal district Elupina Cordero de Las Cañitas. The vegetation is of humid grass forest, and is characterized by humid tropical micro climate of forest and savannah. It has elevations below 100 meters above sea level.

• The Pie de Monte and the Cordillera Oriental o Sierra de El Seibo, which covers the latter the central, central-west and central-east area of the province, where is located Hato Mayor del Rey, the municipal district of Yerba Buena and the municipal sections of San Rafael and Arenitas, in the north-central part. The Eastern Cordillera is composed of igneous or volcanic rocks, metamorphic and sedimentary. On its southern slope, limiting to a large extent to the Pie de Monte, it has a calcareous strip or compact limestone that determines the existence of important caves such as the Doña Ana in Hato Mayor, the Cave of the Chiva of El Seibo and Las Cuevas del Peñón in Higüey, among others. This mountainous system is made up of small, uneven peaks, whose highest heights do not pass from 800 meters, such as the Old Loma (736 meters). The climate of the Eastern Cordillera corresponds to the humid tropical forest and the native vegetation is wet and very humid forest. In almost all it has been replaced by vegetation created by man (artificial) through permanent crops. The first lomas that are subordinate to the Cordillera Oriental, are the lomas of Los Platanitos, the Gíbaros and the Manchados that are of lime formation and are similar to that of the Loma de Los Castellanos in Yerba Buena. The Loma de Los Haitises, Loma del Toro, Loma Limón, Loma Buenavista, Loma el Peñón, Loma los Mampurrios, Loma Maguá, the latter two in Sabana de la Mar, are also outstanding.

• La South-East or Caribbean coastal plain, covering the South, Southeast and Southwest of the province, where are the municipal districts of Guayabo Dulce and Mata Palacio. It is a plain that originated in the pleistocene period of the quaternary age. They predominate the limestone or calcareous rocks, and the soils are alluvial. This plain has no heights that exceed 100 meters above sea level.

• La Kársica or Caliza region of Los Haitises It is a formation of the miocene period of the tertiary era and that in its northwest part covers an important area of Los Haitises National Park. In this region we find underground cracks, being this an extensive 1,600km2 karst platform, with conical hills of height pairs to 200 to 300 meters above sea level, among which dolinas abound, which make function of sinks where the abundant rains fall in the area infiltrate, circulating through 80 kilometers that end in Cabo Engaño. This region is made up of sedimentary rocks of the calcareous or limestone type and has a humid tropical forest climate with a rainfall exceeding 2,500 millimetres of average annual. The vegetation is typical of wet forest, with a variety of woody species.

Hydrography

The rivers of Hato Mayor move in two directions: towards the Atlantic Ocean, which covers the southern part of the Bay of Samaná, bordering Los Haitises and the Coastal Plain of Sabana de la Mar and Miches, and is used for marine fishing and water transport, to connect the province of Samaná with the municipality of Sabana de la Mar; and towards the Caribbean Sea.

In addition to rivers, considering that in Hato Mayor there are several of the most important water resources of the Eastern Region, constituted especially by waterfalls and natural lagoons, as well as part of the most important hydrographic basin that are: the river Higuamo of about 58 kilometers, born at kilometer 20 of the Hato Mayor del Rey-Sabana de la Mar highway and ends in the province of San Pedro de Macorís in the Caribbean Sea, its most important tributary is the Maguá waterfall, and the Azuí, Almirante and Casuí rivers that form sub-basins, from the latter the Lajas river is born; and the Yabón of about 38 kilometers, rising in the province of El Seibo and flowing into the Bay of Samaná, in the vicinity of the city of Sabana de la Mar, where the Yanigua waterfall of about 19 kilometers is born, as well as the Apolinario, the La Jagua stream, the El Sano river and the La Clara, Los Hicacos, La Orleans and the Prieta lagoons. Another of the important rivers is the Caño Hondo, which is located in the Los Haitises National Park; and the Magarín and Cibao rivers, these last two tributaries of the Soco river.

In the municipality of Sabana de la Mar, an irrigation zone of the Eastern Operating Unit operates, with some 704 users, covering some 28,830 tasks. The canal system is made up of thirteen units, none of which exceeds 5.3 km in length, and all together measure 30.5 km in length.

Climate

The climate of Hato Mayor is tropical, although due to factors such as windward (part of the mountain where the winds loaded with humidity collide), the influence of the neighboring seas (Atlantic to the north and Caribbean to the south), and the altitude Two microclimates can be distinguished: the humid tropical forest and the humid tropical savannah. In Los Haitises, the Eastern Cordillera, the Pié de Monte and the coastal plains of Sabana de la Mar and Miches, the climate is warm with temperatures exceeding 25 degrees Celsius and abundant rainfall. For its part, in the southeastern or Caribbean coastal plain, the humid tropical savannah climate predominates, with average temperatures of 25 degrees Celsius.

The average annual rainfall varies: towards the northwest, in Sabana de la Mar it is about 2,122 mm; in Hato Mayor del Rey, on the other hand, it drops to 1,578 millimeters.

Protected areas

Los Haitises National Park

An island in San Lorenzo Bay

In the territory of the province is a large part (206 km²) of Los Haitises National Park, one of the most important centers of our National System of Protected Areas. The Hato Mayor province has one of the most extraordinary coastal natural heritage in the Dominican Republic.

Los Haitises National Park covers an area of 600.82 km². This is one of the most spectacular areas in the country and given its characteristics, it is one of the most visited by national and foreign tourists. This park was created in 1968 by law 244, which since then has been modified on multiple occasions. The purpose of this area is to protect its karstic platform and the entire ecosystem that has been created around it. In Los Haitises National Park, the humid forest predominates in which broad-leaved trees abound. Nearly one hundred endemic species of the island of Santo Domingo have been quantified in the area, and twenty of them are exclusive to the park. This is also the largest mangrove area in the country.

One of the most outstanding aspects of Los Haitises National Park are its cultural and historical resources, among them the pictographs and petroglyphs that appear in its cave system, among which we can mention: Cueva de la Arena, Cueva San Gabriel and La Línea Cave.

Jina Mangrove Wildlife Refuge

Also in the province is a special protection area called Jina Mangrove Wildlife Refuge, with a dimension of 53 km². This not only provides protection to the mangrove and the habitat that forms around it, but also promotes scientific research, education, recreation and tourism, among other activities.

Flora and Fauna

Ceiba, native tree of Hato Mayor.

In the Hato Mayor province there is a diverse fauna and flora, typical of humid forest and savannah or grass vegetation. The main fauna and flora reserve of the province is located in Los Haitises National Park, where several endemic species of the island can be found. The native trees are the Ceiba (Ceiba pentandra); white mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa); button mangrove (Conocarpus erectus); black mangrove (Avicennia germinans); mahogany (swietenia mahagoni); cedar (Cedrela odorata); guavas (Psidium guajava); coconut trees (Cocos nucifera); and the royal palm (Roystonea regia).

Among the birds that inhabit the province of Hato Mayor, the parakeet (Aratinga chloroptera) is endemic, as well as the parrot (Amazona ventralis); the barn owl (Tyto alba); laura (Gathartes aura); curled heron (Egretta thula); blue heron (Egretta caerulea); king howler (Nycticorax nycticorax); the earwigs (Fregata magnificens) and the gray heron (Ardea cinerea). The endemic reptile is the terrestrial lizard, better known as (frog) and the mammals are the bat Phyllops haitiensis, the jutia (Plagiodontia aedium) and the solenodon (Solenodon paradoxus).

Economy

orange, is the most important agricultural production in the province.

The base of the economy is based on agriculture, mainly the cultivation of citrus fruits such as oranges, tangerines, cherries and chinolas. The pioneer in the introduction of organized orange cultivation in the Dominican Republic was Don Juan Barceló Artigues, an agribusinessman based in Hato Mayor. The most important citrus production is at the hands of three families from the eastern region: the Barceló, the Hazim and the Santoni, owners of the citrus processing industry called Consorcio de Citrícola del Este, estimated to be that approximately 50% of the citrus production is found in this province for the production of juices and nectars, distributed nationwide, and exported to Spain, the United States, Puerto Rico, Barbados and Aruba. There are also other citrus producers who cultivate their own land.

Other productions are the organic chinola and cherry plantations with the largest plantation in the country and the Caribbean, in charge of Julio Giraldéz Casanovas, processed in a small plant to extract the pulp and concentrated juice.

Other important crops in the province are rice, coffee, coconut, pineapple, banana, among other crops. As well as tubers such as yams, yautía and yuca. Sugar cane is also cultivated since the Ingenio Azucarero Pringamosa S.A. is located here and a large part of the sugar cane production in the province of San Pedro de Macorís is found on the lands of the Hato Mayor province. Cocoa is another of the productions of this province, this being the third producing region in the East, with an annual production of 262 thousand quintals. And last but not least, the African palm, predominating in the El Valle municipality, extracting more than 50% of the oil from it, which is sold to local refiners, the companies that are in charge of this are Inasca Agroindustrial and Merchandise.

Livestock activities in the province date back to the 16th century, when the area was the largest herd of cattle on the island of Hispaniola. The livestock wealth is worth mentioning, with a predominance of cattle for dairy use, among which is the farm run by the Barriola brothers, with the production of milk to sell it to the company Parmalat Dominicana; and meat, being Hato Mayor the fourth producer of milk nationwide; horse breeding and, on a smaller scale, pig production, goats; and poultry, predominating the Asociación de Ganaderos which brings together almost all of the livestock producers.

Fishing production in the province of Hato Mayor is concentrated in the municipality of Sabana de la Mar, where there are cold stores and fish processors that allow the conservation of the species for subsequent sale in supermarkets and hotels nationwide. A wide variety of fish and shellfish are caught in the area, in which tilapia is concentrated in the fishing of the rivers; and on the coasts lobster, shrimp, crabs, red snapper or red snapper, octopus, black snapper, grouper and minuta.

In the municipality of El Valle, there is a large flower plantation. This nursery is made up of large greenhouses that cover thousands of square meters cultivated with flowers and ornamental plants from the company Anthuriana Dominicana. The productions are sold locally and exported.

The subsoil provides amber in the area of the municipality of El Valle, and the road that connects to Sabana de la Mar, which is not widely exploited commercially. It is also limited to exploitation of limestone, rough and volcanic rocks, particularly for the production of materials for asphalt. Permits have also been granted for exploration for marble, limestone and volcanic rocks. Important agro-industrial distillery and food companies have settled in the province, since there are important cheese and sausage factories, promoted by Don Felimón Güílamo Rijo (known as Don Món), among which are: Queso Hatuey, owned by Mr. José Antonio Martínez Soriano, this company being established on April 13, 1958; Patrón de Oro Cheese, owned by Pedro Julio Evangelista Monegro, registering that nearly 1.4 million liters of yogurt are packaged annually for commercialization both at the provincial and national level; and Cambre Cheese. There are also several family microenterprises that produce sweets, cheeses, mabí, and corn, cocoa and aloe wines, and other derivatives.

In the tourism area, there are several ecological hotels, among which is the Paraíso Caño Hondo hotel, which offers its visitors an ecological and low-cost hotel. Its facilities have the particularity of being within the channel of the Caño Hondo river

It also operates chemical plants dedicated to the processing and bottling of drinking water; and a free zone park for the production of textiles. Another important activity is the production of leather articles, from saddleries that produce the largest number of horse implements in the entire region with a high level of quality and acceptance of their products.

Population

This table contains information of the population quantity by municipality of Hato Mayor province. Source: IX National Population and Housing Census 2010

This chart contains information of the population of Hato Mayor province in the years 1993, 2002, 2010. Source: IX National Population and Housing Census 2010

This chart contains information about the structure of the population by age of Hato Mayor province. Source: IX National Population and Housing Census 2010

Population aged 5 and over by sex, according to the level of education reached or completed, 2010 Source: IX National Population and Housing Census 2010

The province of Hato Mayor, with a population of 85,017 inhabitants, according to estimates from the IX National Population and Housing Census conducted in 2010, has a population density of 63.9 inhabitants per square kilometer. 78.34% of the population resides in the three municipalities that make up the province, with the municipality of Hato Mayor del Rey being the one with the largest population, concentrating 52.81% of the population of the province. The rest of the population is mainly concentrated in the municipality of Sabana de la Mar with 16.14% and the municipal district of Guayabo Dulce with 9.39%.

A high percentage of the population of Hato Mayor resides in urban areas, with only 33% living in rural areas, which places Hato Mayor as one of the ten provinces in the country with the least rurality. In urban areas, the main municipality (Hato Mayor del Rey) and Sabana de la Mar register a large population concentration, with 21.9% and 8%, respectively, of their population residing in rural areas.

The age structure of the population reflects that the province has a young population, since 57.10% of its inhabitants are under 30 years of age. Adults in their productive prime (30 to 45 years old) only represent 19.60% of the population, while those between 45 to 85 years old constitute 23.30% of Hatomayorenses. The foregoing suggests a strong migratory flow among people of these ages due to the few employment opportunities and the deficiency in the provision of basic services. Men represent 50.98% of the total inhabitants in the province, while women constitute 49.02%.

In accordance with this, the census data shows that Hato Mayor is located within the 5 provinces with the highest levels of migration. In fact, more than 40% of the population born in this province does not currently reside there and in the five years prior to the Census (1998-2002) 11.1% of the population migrated permanently to other provinces.

The main migration destination is the province of San Pedro de Macorís, with 47% of migrants, while 22% of Hatomayorenses emigrate to Santo Domingo. This pattern could indicate that the population of the area leaves the province seeking to increase their employment capacity and/or their standard of living, which is why they do not return permanently to the province. In fact, the dependency ratio is 0.82%, above the national average, which suggests that emigration is by young people of working age.

On the other hand, when poverty indicators are analyzed, it is found that Hato Mayor, together with El Seibo, show the highest incidence rates of poverty in the Eastern region. Estimates by the authors show that poverty levels in Hato Mayor are high and comparable to those in highly economically depressed areas such as the provinces of the southern region of the country.

In fact, it was estimated that more than half of the population of Hato Mayor (54.5%) lives in poverty, which could be related to the limited exploitation of economic resources in the area, the absence of sources of work and the high concentration of land.

Characteristics of the Economically Active Population (EAP)

According to data from the National Population and Housing Census conducted in 2010, a total of 68,516 people in the province, representing 80.59% work. In this regard, unemployment indicators reveal that Hato Mayor presents the highest unemployment levels in the eastern region, with 15.4%. Unemployment is especially significant in the municipality of Sabana de la Mar and in the rural areas of the province.

As in other provinces of the country, the response to unemployment and poverty in the area has been self-employment and micro-enterprises. 34.70% of the employed population in Hato Mayor is self-employed, which exceeds the national average of 38.9% as well as the average for the entire Eastern region, which is 40.65%.

These results confirm the reduced offer that Hatomayorans have to enter the labor market, since there are few sources of employment. It could also suggest that job alternatives are sought in the informal sector given the low levels of training of the workforce, which has led to the emergence of many family micro-enterprises dedicated to agro-industrial production.

On the other hand, remuneration levels in the province are low and lower than those received in the rest of the Eastern region and at the national level. In Hato Mayor, almost a third of the population (32.3%) declared receiving a monthly income of less than 2,000 pesos in 2002, while this percentage was 30.5% for the eastern region and 28.5% for the national total.

This could reflect that the population has limited job options in activities with remuneration above the national minimum wage, which could be conditioned by the low levels of education of the EAP in the province.

In relation to the sectoral structure of employment, the largest employer in the province is the other services sector (22.9%), which includes the activities of energy, gas and water supply, financial services, real estate and business activities, education, health services, and minor micro-enterprise activities (repairs, clothing, etc.). Then comes commerce (21.8%), the agricultural sector (18.1%) and industry (14%). The incidence of activities linked to tourism is very low (3.4%). Agribusiness is of great importance in the generation of stable employment in the province, which is consistent with the diversity of companies dedicated to these purposes. On the other hand, the indicators of the qualification of the existing workforce in the Hato Mayor province are not very favorable when compared with the rest of the country and with the other provinces of the eastern zone.

The illiteracy rate in the population between 15 and 24 years of age in 2010 is 24.7, and more than 50% had not reached secondary education. In this sense, the education levels of the population over 15 years of age in Hato Mayor can be considered low when compared to other provinces of the country. This contrasts with the low levels of rurality in the province, since higher levels of schooling would be expected in a mostly urban population. This could be suggesting deficiencies in the provision of educational services, which is consistent with the high migration observed in the province.

Important figures

Important figures born in Hato Mayor

	Name	Birth	Death	Occupation
	Jorge Radhamés Zorrilla Ozuna	16 December 1954	-	He's a Dominican lawyer, ex-military and political. President and founder of the Renewable Civic Party. Chief of Staff of the National Army during the period 2003-2004. Current director of the Price Stabilization Institute (INESPRE).
	Pedro Guillermo	29 June 1814	18 February 1867	He was a Dominican military merchant and politician. President of the Dominican Republic in 1865. He belonged to the National Army, participated in the battles for Independence on March 19, 1844, was the most prominent guerrilla in the struggles for the National Restoration.
	Cesáreo Guillermo	8 March 1847	8 November 1885	He was President of the Dominican Republic in 1878 and 1879. It began in military life in 1863, at the age of 16. He held positions as a deputy at the National Congress and Minister of the Interior and Police. He was with Ulysses Heureaux, Senior Operations Chief of the Popular Unit Movement from 2 September 1878 to 6 September 1878.
	Anthony Rios	17 July 1950	4 March 2019	He is a Dominican composer, singer and comedian. It began in the music playing the guitar and singing troubling songs and bohemia pueblerina. As a composer he has stood out for being the author of almost all the songs he has sung, many of which have turned the world around in their own voice and that of other famous vocalists such as Yolandita Monge, Fernando Allende and Pastor Lopez, among others. As for his work on Dominican television, he participated in the programs: El Show del Mediodía, Cuentos y Cantas y el Show de Luisito Martí.
	Robert del Castillo	24 June	-	Dominican singer and communicator. From a teenager he was part of Johnny Ventura's orchestra. After several years he is released as a soloist, uncovering himself with themes such as "Agua Viva." Until I met, "My Bride and My Woman are among others. As for his career as a communicator, he has stood out for his participation in The Midday Show.
	Juan Freddy Armando	21 December 1951	-	Dominican writer. He began to publish poems and stories in 1973. He did the journalism by being editor and editor of the newspaper El Nuevo Diario and collaborator of the Listín Diario, El Nacional y el Periódico Hoy. He has won numerous literary awards as a mention in the Literary Contest of the National Library Pedro Henríquez Ureña, in 1987, mention of honor and publication of poems in the Poetry Contest of Casa de Teatro in 1985, among others. He is currently Manager of Culture of the Reserve Bank.
	Miguel Ángel Severino Rodríguez	3 May 1953	-	President of the Dominican College of Public Accountants, Inc., 1988/89, Founding President of the Regional Territorial Development Council of the Macro Region Southeast.

| || Freddie Javier|| September 26, 1946 ||-|| He studied at the National School of Fine Arts, graduating as a professor of Fine Arts in 1970.

He has developed as a muralist painter, since he has participated in the creation of some murals such as the Olympic Pool of the Pan American Games and in the Church of Altagracia in Santo Domingo. In the period 2001-2005 he was president of the Dominican College of Plastic Artists (CODAP); He is currently a professor of Drawing at the National School of Fine Arts. Master of Dominican Visual Arts.|-|-align="center"