Resources

For several years the SHMC hired a registered archivist to search the original records stored in the "Archives of the Indies" in Seville, Spain, for correspondence between Monte Cristi, the Governor of Santo Domingo and the Spanish government. Almost 800 pages of documents have been photocopied, and organized by year, with a short summary in English. These records begin with Colon's arrival in Hispaniola and continue through the Second Founding of Monte Cristi as "San Fernando de Monte Cristi" in the 1750's.

The SHMC has copies of some maps from the Archives, as well as maps of the early period obtained from other sources. There are also modern maps (with GPS corrections) of Montecristi Province, including marine charts and topographic maps (military and aerial). Google Earth is also useful for showing the lagoons and estuaries, and particularly for showing the tectonic plates that are responsible for the region's frequent minor earthquakes.

The Research Center library contains books written or based on early eye witness reports of the island and its inhabitants. (Las Casas, Pane, Fernando Colon, Benzoni, Martyr, Oviedo, etc.) Additionally, there are books on the recent work done at Puerto Real (Fort Liberte, Haiti) and La Isabela, as well as many contemporary books and compendiums which are basic reading for understanding that early period, and these include excellent bibliographies for additional study.

The Library contains an extensive collection of periodicals. These include the "Boletin del Museo del Hombre Dominicano" (the National Museum), publications by the Archaeological Institute of America, the Institute of Nautical Archaeology, Archaeological Conservancy, Nature Conservancy, Sierra Club, Smithsonian, National Museum of American Indian, and Fisher Maritime Heritage Society. There are also popular and technical magazines such as National Geographic, Scientific American, Sea Technology -- in short, a wide variety of sources that may at times have information useful to the research goals of the Sociedad.