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 Seavis Museum Mano Juan Tags:
Artist: Guillermo Estrada (cell: +(1) 829 542 4544), Salvadorian, professional artist since 1984 With special thanks to: SeavisTours for unique eco-adventures. |
SeavisTours Museum in Mano JuanThe museum is located in Mano Juan (Saona) and is part of the Saona Crusoe VIP excursion from SeavisTours (www.seavisbayahibe.com). The museum is opened in the year 2009 and tells the amazing story of Isla Saona and of the village and people of Mano Juan.
The making of...in May - June 2009 by: Guillermo Estrada, professional artist since 1984 Tales of Mystery and Imagination...
The story of the Bobadilla: Francisco de Bobadilla was the second governor of Hispaniola, appointed by the Spanish king. All ships sailing out to the New World had to report in Santo Domingo to get their assignments and –on the way back- to pay their 'concession fees'. These fees were normally paid in gold, silver or other valuables that were brought back from the 'New World'. The valuables were stored in Santo Domingo and once in a while the Spanish king ordered the transport to Spain. In 1502 Francisco de Bobadilla sailed off to Spain with 30 ships holding an immense treasure of the fees collected in the previous years. However the fleet never arrived in Spain and disappeared without leaving a trace. Soon after the disappearance stories emerged of the wrecking of the fleet near Canto de la Playa during a fierce hurricane. From that time the ‘hunt for the treasure’ was on....
Saona also was the last strong hold of the Taino Indians. The last opposing chief-tan, named "COTUBANAMA", fled to Saona and resided in a cave near Catuano. He was captured and executed by the Spanish, with that the total colonization of Hispaniola became a fact.
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The records of inhabitants of Saona Island go back to the age of the Taino Indians, as they left signs of their presence at different points on the Island. This part of the mural contains an exact reproduction of Tainos rock art found in caves located in the National Park of the East. COTUBANAMA (the Tainos name for Saona) is represented by the image of the Indian who is looking towards the horizon from the heights of a rock in front of the sea; it shows these people together with the caves, which were used for refuge and as defense against hurricanes and invaders. The face of the woman remembers of the fecundity (Taino means "people of beauty") and the mysteries of this race that finaly was eradicated from this island. 
The wind rose or "The rose of navigation" is an instrument that served in the days of Columbus to mount the maps; it demonstrates the old method of map reading and map drawing. When they sailed towards these latitudes the sailors set out the new lands and reference points in their maps very differently as we do at present. Currently the "north" is used as a strict point of reference. In the time of Columbus they draw the maps as an actual reproduction of the view they saw.
This mural shows the two different cultures: the East (European discoverers) meets the West (the Taino Indians).
The storm shows the hurricane history in this region of the Caribbean. Hurricanes are common, especially around Saona, where the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea meet. Mano Juan was largely distroyed in 1998 by hurricane 
Dońa Antonia Franco was a passenger on the galleon "Conde de Tolosa", which was shipwrecked in the Bay of Samana in 1724. During the salvage of the wreck in the 1980's a suitcase was recovered, containing a gold bracelet with her name and a roll of tulle (commonly used in the manufacture of wedding dresses). However in the old registers in the library of Seville (Spain) no person with the name of Antonia Franco was registered as a passenger of the "Conde de Tolosa"..... It appeared that she changed ships in Puerto Rico and so sealed her unfortunate fate.
Pirates have played an important role in the history of Saona. They occupied the Island and raided the ships that journeyed between the continents. They released horses and pigs on the island as a food source. The wild pigs currently living on the island are the largest of the country. The pirates also dealt with slaves coming from West Africa. Hispaniola (especially Haiti) has a large population that decent from these slaves. The pirates tried to find the treasures of the Bobadilla, but apperently never succeeded in finding it...
This aerial view of ADAMANAY or currently called MANO JUAN contains the images described by Don Narciso Morales, the oldest living person of the first colonization ordered by the dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina. In 1944 Trujillo recruited 12 families to colonize the island. The United States had occupied the near Island "La Mona”; located in "The Channel of La Mona" between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic and Trujillo didn’t want Saona to follow the same fate.
The official name of the town of Mano Juan is actually ADAMANAY. The name Mano Juan is derived from one of its colonists called JUAN. "MANO" is the final part of the word "HERMANO", which means "brother" (a very Dominican way to call to a person without mentioning his name). Juan became so popular on the island that quickly the town was referred to as "the place where herMANO JUAN" lived. Currently nobody uses the name Adamanay anymore.
Don Narciso Morales, affectionately known as JUANIQUITO, arrived on Saona in 1944 accompanied by his parents, his 12 year old brother and his smaller sister of 8. JUANIQUITO was 10 years of age and their family was the first to disembark the gig boat "The Julia". The house near the beach was a warehouse in which - according to JUANIQUITO- the commercial partner of the dictator, Anibal Trujillo (non-relatives) stored the wood that was sold on the main island. The small house with the flag was the house of the navy inspector. The large house was a communal building to lodge the newly arrived colonists until they built there own houses. This house is currently the museum where you are in now. The building on the left contain the stables for the horses. Also the water well can be observed. JUANIQUITO believes that the well was built by the Taino Indians due to the form it has and by the materials used to form their walls. The water well is conserved in the same place, only a cement structure is built to contain the well. According to JUANIQUITO and Dona Consuelo (his wife) the well has never been dry. Next to the well there was a charcoal furnace which already existed when the colonists arrived. The colonists used the furnace for a long period after their arrival for making charcoal.
Finally this part is homage to those twelve families that were first in venturing themselves to endure the limitations and the difficult conditions: from the inhospitable vegetation of very thorny plants to plagues of mosquitoes and horseflies; and the challenge of beginning from zero. Each year one of the children of each of the 12 families can paint something in their own flag.