La Vega, is the fourth largest city and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

of the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

. It is in

La Vega Province La Vega () is a province of the Dominican Republic. Until 1992 it included what is now Monseñor Nouel province. History The first settlement made by Christopher Columbus in the area was on December 8, 1494. Its initial economic development wa ...

. The city is known as the Carnaval epicenter of the Dominican Republic for its tradition and culture, its large agricultural production methods throughout its province.

History

Fuerte Concepcion de la Vega RD 12 2019 2019 3185

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...

built a military fort near present-day La Vega, in 1494, intended to guard the route to the interior gold deposits of the

Cibao The Cibao, usually referred as "El Cibao", is a region of the Dominican Republic located at the northern part of the country. As of 2009 the Cibao has a population of 5,622,378 making it the most populous region in the country. The region constit ...

valley. A Spanish settlement known as Concepción de la Vega gradually grew up around the fort. After 1508, when gold was found in quantity there, Concepción became the first gold

boomtown A boomtown is a community that undergoes sudden and rapid population and economic growth, or that is started from scratch. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although ...

in the island. It already had a cathedral, two convents, a hospital, and several administration buildings. In La Vega the first coin was minted and the first merchants settled. By 1510 it was one of the largest and most important European cities in the hemisphere. The city was destroyed and buried by an earthquake on December 2, 1562, and the survivors moved to the present site on the banks of the Camú River. The second foundation of the city corresponds to its current location and it is believed that it took place between the years 1562 and 1563. In the days of National Independence, the city of La Vega joined the cause of freedom with soldiers. On March 4, 1844, La Vega formalized its declaration in support of the War of Independence, and that same day it became the first town in the country to raise the national flag. Commerce, agriculture and industry gained new momentum in the late 1800s and early 1900s. An event that strengthened the economic development of the area was the inauguration of the railway between the port of Sánchez and the city of La Vega. The transport by this means of fruits and merchandise led to new living conditions with settlers arriving from Santo Domingo, Santiago, Moca and other places. The first theater in the country was also built in La Vega. In 1915 the city received the name of a cultured city, due to its art and culture. In the place of the ruins of the first city, there is an archaeological park and a museum, the Pueblo Viejo National Park. Over the years, a town called Pueblo Viejo has emerged, in honor of the first place where the city existed.

Geography

La Vega is bounded on the north by the Camú River. This river flows about 100 kilometers before emptying into

Yuna River The Yuna River (Spanish: ''Río Yuna'') is the second longest river in the Dominican Republic at in length. It forms within the Cordillera Central mountain range southwest of the city of Bonao in Monseñor Nouel Province, and passes through the ...

. South of the city is the Cordillera Central, the largest mountain system of the Dominican Republic. El Ponton Field, a local airport, bounds the city on the east. To La Vega's west are the Camú River again and Montellano.

Climate

La Vega has a

tropical rainforest climate A tropical rainforest climate, humid tropical climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southea ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

: ''Af'')

Sectors

Government

Economy

The local industries are based upon cacao,

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. Seeds of ...

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...

, and

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...

production. There is also a small but very famous brewery called Cervecería Vegana known for its pilsener-style beers, named ''Quisqueya'' and ''Soberana''. There is a factory known for making the famous sausage Induveca.

Religion

The

shrine A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon, or similar figure of respect, wherein they ...

of Our Lady of Mercy called ''Santo Cerro'' is located in the place where

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

appeared to

during a battle.

Education

There is an extension of the

Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña The Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña (also called UNPHU) is a Private university, private, coeducational, university in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. History

The University was established as a private, non profit institutio ...

and there is the Universidad Católica Tecnológica del Cibao. Since 2005 the national and local governments are planning to build an extension of the

Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo The Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD) (Autonomous University of Santo Domingo) is the public university system in the Dominican Republic with its flagship campus in the Ciudad Universitaria (lit. University City) neighborhood of San ...

, but there are some conflicts and the project is behind schedule. This city also has one of the most expensive schools in the country, the famous Colegio Agustiniano, which is the only in the country.

Private, public, and high schools

Laura vicuña

The Book Fair

Annually, the famous ''Feria del Libro de República Dominicana'' (Dominican Republic Book Fair) takes place in the city of La Vega. In this fair most of the famous books and literary works from Dominicans writers such as Juan Bosch,

Joaquín Balaguer Joaquín Antonio Balaguer Ricardo (1 September 1906 – 14 July 2002) was a Dominican politician, scholar, writer, and lawyer. He was President of the Dominican Republic serving three non-consecutive terms for that office from 1960 to 196 ...

, w:es:Federico García Godoy, among others, and international writers such as

Gabriela Mistral Lucila Godoy Alcayaga (; 7 April 1889 – 10 January 1957), known by her pseudonym Gabriela Mistral (), was a Chilean poet-diplomat, educator and humanist. In 1945 she became the first Latin American author to receive a Nobel Prize in Li ...

Rubén Darío Félix Rubén García Sarmiento (January 18, 1867 – February 6, 1916), known as Rubén Darío ( , ), was a Nicaraguan poet who initiated the Spanish-language literary movement known as ''modernismo'' (modernism) that flourished at the end of ...

Gabriel García Márquez Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez (; 6 March 1927 – 17 April 2014) was a Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter, and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo () or Gabito () throughout Latin America. Considered one ...

, among others, are sold, and some theatrical works are shown to the public. The fair is celebrated each year in the month of September, lasting about one week, and brings to this city all the editors from all around the country, selling many kinds of books, theatrical works, etc. Image:Bookfair01.JPG, Concepción de La Vega section Image:Bookfair02.JPG, Hermanas Mirabal section Image:Bookfair03.JPG, Monte Cristi section Image:Bookfair04.JPG,

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whos ...

section Image:Bookfair05.JPG, Puerto Plata section Image:Bookfair06.JPG, Mao section Image:Bookfair07.JPG,

San Francisco de Macorís San Francisco de Macorís is a city in the Dominican Republic located in the northeast portion of the island, in the Cibao region. It is the capital of the Duarte Province, and the sixth most populated city in the country. The name ''San Fran ...

section Image:Bookfair08.JPG,

Nagua Nagua is the capital of María Trinidad Sánchez province, in the northeastern Dominican Republic. A medium-sized town, Nagua's economy relies on the production of agricultural products, principally rice, coconuts, and cocoa bean. Located on t ...

section Image:Bookfair09.JPG,

Dajabón Dajabón is a municipality and capital of the Dajabón province in the Dominican Republic, which is located on the northwestern Dominican Republic frontier with Haiti. It is a market town with a population of about 26,000, north of the Cordiller ...

section Image:Bookfair10.JPG, Samaná section Image:Bookfair11.JPG, Santiago Rodriguez section

Transportation

There are many bus companies which travel between La Vega other cities like: Santo Domingo, Santiago, Samana, Puerto Plata, and others. There is also El Ponton Field, which serves domestics flights.

Sports

Each year between the months of October and December a basketball tournament is held in this city, it is called in Spanish ''Torneo Superior de Baloncesto de La Vega'' in English Superior Basketball Tournament of La Vega, This tournament started in October 1994 (after a time of political and cultural crisis between the years 1978 and October 1994). One team is still active, the other ("El Country Team") disappearing. Fernando teruel stadium

{, class="wikitable" , - ! 1994 - 2002 !! Club DOSA !! Club Enriquillo !! Club La Matica !! Club Parque Hostos !! Club Villa , - , 1994 , , bgcolor="FFFFFF", did not compete , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="#FFCC00", Champion , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="#FFCC99", runner up , - , 1995 , , bgcolor="FFFFFF", did not compete , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="#FFCC00", Champion , , bgcolor="#FFCC99", runner up , - , 1996 , , bgcolor="FFFFFF", did not compete , , bgcolor="FF0000", canceled , , bgcolor="FF0000", canceled , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , - , 1997 , , bgcolor="FFFFFF", did not compete , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="#FFCC99", runner up , , bgcolor="#FFCC00", Champion , - , 1998 , , bgcolor="#FFCC00", Champion , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="#FFCC99", runner up , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , - , 1999 , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified, , bgcolor="#FFCC00", Champion , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="#FFCC99", Runner up , - , 2000 , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="#FFCC00", Champion , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="#FFCC99", Runner up , - , 2001 , , bgcolor="#FFCC99", Runner up , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="#FFCC00", Champion , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , - , 2002 , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="#FFCC99", Runner up , , bgcolor="#FFCC00", Champion , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , - ! 2003 - 2012 !! Angelitos del DOSA !! Guerreros del Enriquillo !! Potros de La Matica !! Tigres del Parque Hostos !! Villanos de La Villa , - , 2003 , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="#FFCC00", Champion , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="#FFCC99", Runner up , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , - , 2004 , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="#FFCC99", Runner up , , bgcolor="#FFCC00", Champion , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , - , 2005 , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="#FFCC99", Runner up , , bgcolor="#FFCC00", Champion , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , - , 2006 , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="#FFCC99", Runner up , , bgcolor="#FFCC00", Champion , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , - , 2007 , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="#FFCC99", Runner up , , bgcolor="#FFCC00", Champion , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , - , 2008 , , bgcolor="#FFCC00", Champion , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="#FFCC99", Runner up , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , - , 2009 , , bgcolor="#FFCC99", Runner up , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="#FFCC00", Champion , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , - , 2010 , , bgcolor="#FFCC99", Runner up , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="#FFCC00", Champion , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , - , 2011 , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="#FFCC00", Champion , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="#FFCC99", Runner up , - , 2012 , , bgcolor="#FFCC00", Champion , , bgcolor="#FFCC99", Runner up , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , - ! 2013 & 2014 !! Angelitos del DOSA !! Rebeldes del Enriquillo !! Potros de La Matica !! Tigres del Parque Hostos !! Villanos de La Villa , - , 2013 , , bgcolor="#FFCC99", Runner up , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="#FFCC00", Champion , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , - , , 2014 , , bgcolor="#FFCC00", Champion , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="#FFCC99", Runner up , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , - ! 2015–present !! Angelitos del DOSA !! Rebeldes del Enriquillo !! Potros de La Matica !! Tigres del Parque Hostos !! Fieras de La Villa , - , , 2015 , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="#FFCC99", Runner up , , bgcolor="#FFCC00", Champion , - , , 2016 , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="#FFCC00", Champion , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="#FFCC99", Runner up , - , , 2017 , , bgcolor="#FFCC00", Champion , , bgcolor="#FFCC99", Runner up , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , - , , 2018 , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="#FFCC00", Champion , , bgcolor="#FFCC99", Runner up , - , , 2019 , , bgcolor="#FFCC99", Runner up , , bgcolor="#FFCC00", Champion , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , - , , 2020 , , colspan=5 {{n/a, Due to the impact of

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, no competition was held in 2020 , - , , 2021 , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , bgcolor="#FFCC00", Champion , , bgcolor="#FFCC99", Runner up , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , - , , 2021 , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified , , , , bgcolor="gray", disqualified *El Parque Hostos is the most winning team with ten crowns (1995, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2013, 2018) and six times as runner up (1997,2003,2008, 2014, 2015, 2021). *La Matica is the second most winning team with six crowns (1994, 1999, 2000, 2010, 2011, 2021), six times as first runner up (1998, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007) and qualified to the finals in 1996 but that year's finale was eventually canceled. *DOSA is the third most winning team with five crowns (1998, 2008, 2012, 2014, 2017) and five times as first runner up (2001, 2009, 2010, 2013,2019). *Enriquillo is the fourth most winning team with three crowns (2003, 2016, 2019), and two time as first runner up (2012,2017) and qualified to the finals in 1996 but that year's finale was eventually canceled. *La Villa is the fifth most winning team with two crowns (1997, 2015) and five times as runner up (1994, 1999, 2000, 2011, 2016, 2018). *In the tournament number 19 (2012) was the first time in the history of this tournament that none of the most winning teams ''Club La Matica'' & ''Club Parque Hostos'' didn't advance to the final.

Notable people

* Juan Bosch: famous writer, former President of the Dominican Republic, from February 27, 1963, to September 24, 1963, and for decades a top, national political leader *

Rhina Espaillat Rhina Polonia Espaillat (born January 20, 1932, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) is a bilingual Dominican-American poet and translator who is affiliated with the literary movement known as New Formalism in American poetry. She has published e ...

: bilingual

Dominican-American Dominican Americans ( es, domínico-americanos, ) are Americans who trace their ancestry to the Dominican Republic. The word may refer to someone born in the United States of Dominican descent or to someone who has migrated to the United Stat ...

poet *

Zoilo H. Garcia Zoilo Hermogenes García Peña (December 21, 1881 - December 11, 1916) was a civil engineer and aviator from the Dominican Republic. Besides being a prolific engineer credited with building, among other things, the first theater of La Vega, he is ...

: Aviator * Luis Alberti: Musician * Juan Carlos Payano:

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

Victoriano Sosa Victoriano Damián Sosa (born April 17, 1974 in La Vega, Dominican Republic) is a boxer. Personal Sosa is second cousin of Major League Baseball player Sammy Sosa. Amateur career Member of the 1992 Dominican Olympic Team as a Featherweight. ...

Boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

Antonio Guzmán Fernández Silvestre Antonio Guzmán Fernández (February 12, 1911 – July 4, 1982), best known as Antonio Guzmán, was a Dominican businessman and a politician. He was President of the Dominican Republic, from 1978 to 1982. Early life Antonio Guzm� ...

: former President of the Dominican Republic, 1978–1982 * Larimar Fiallo:

Miss Dominican Republic 2004 The Miss República Dominicana 2004 was held on April 3, 2004. That year 34 candidates competed for the national crown. The chosen winner will represent the Dominican Republic at the Miss Universe 2004 pageant which was held in Santo Dominigo, Rep ...

* Cirilo J Guzmán: Lawyer *

Francisco Moncion Francisco Moncion (July 6, 1918 – April 1, 1995) was a charter member of the New York City Ballet. Over the course of his long career, spanning some forty years, he created roles in major works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and others. ...

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

dancer, charter member of the

New York City Ballet New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company' ...

and choreographer *

Carlos de la Mota Carlos de la Mota (October 19, 1975, Concepcion de la Vega, Dominican Republic) is a Dominican architect, actor and singer. His acting career began in 2003 and he received critical acclaim for his role in the telenovela Destilando Amor, as Brit ...

Televisa Grupo Televisa is a Mexican multimedia mass media company. A major Latin American mass media corporation, it often presents itself as the largest producer of Spanish-language content. In April 2021, Televisa and Univision Communications announce ...

actor *

Vielka Valenzuela Vielka Veronica Valenzuela Lama (born November 7, 1972, in New York, New York, U.S.) is a Dominican people (Dominican Republic), Dominican talk show host and former Miss Dominican Republic. Raised in Concepción de la Vega, Dominican Republic, ...

Miss Dominican Republic 1994 The competition for Miss República Dominicana 1994 was held on August 4, 1993. There were 24 candidates, representing provinces and municipalities, who entered. The winner would represent the Dominican Republic at Miss Universe 1994. The first ru ...

Carola Durán Carlina Durán Baldera (born January 17, 1987 in Concepción de La Vega) is a Dominican model who won the national crown of Miss Dominican Republic 2012, initially giving her the right to compete in Miss Universe 2012 representing her country in ...

Miss Dominican Republic 2012 Miss República Dominicana 2012 was held April 17, 2012 in ''Renaissance Auditorio de Festival del Hotel Jaragua'', Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The Miss República Dominicana 2012 winner will represent the Dominican Republic in Miss Univers ...

* Ana Julia Quezada: murderer * Jonathan Villar:

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

player for the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

References

{{Reflist

Photo gallery

Image:La_vega_01.JPG, The Catedral of La Vega Image:La_vega_03.JPG, Plaza Duarte Image:La_vega_04.JPG, A typical neighborhood Image:Concepcion_de_la_vega_comercial.JPG, Commercial center in La Vega Image:La_vega_05.JPG, Electrical center in La Vega {{Provincial capitals of the Dominican Republic {{Municipalities of the Dominican Republic {{Authority control {{DEFAULTSORT:Vega Populated places in La Vega Province Municipalities of the Dominican Republic Populated places established in the 1490s