“La Negra del Hospital” (The Black Woman of the Hospital) (1497-1501)

“La Negra del Hospital” (The Black Woman of the Hospital) (1497-1501)
Somewhere between 1497 and 1501, a Black woman in the early village of Santo Domingo established the first hospital-like healing facility of the Americas
ESPAÑA. MINISTERIO DE CULTURA, Archivo General de Indias,
ES.41091.AGI/23.14.378//SANTO_DOMINGO,93,R.6

TRANSCRIPTION

El Arzobispo de Santo Domingo / Responde al contenido en la Zedula / Real de seis de Octubre de noven / ta y tres, en que manda VM, que le / informe de la ereccion del hospital / de San Nicolas, y de su govierno por / seis administradores, y maiordomos.

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para cubrir el salon que / se a fabricado para la combalecen / cia de los enfermos, y asimismo / Dose Negros y negras para / el cultibo de una estancia que tie / ne dicho ospital por la necesidad / con que se halla dicha Casa= Cuio / puntto lo deja El fiscal al su/ perior adbitrio del consejo para / que resuelba lo mas combiniente / Madrid y octubre 20 de 1696 = /

Cons[ejo ?] 26 de octubre 696 [Rubric] / Visto [Rubric]

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Señor / Por la Real zedula de seis de octubre de no / venta y tres, me manda VM. le informe las cali- / dades con que se erigio el hospital de San / Nicolas, y de la ordinaria administracion, varia, / y annual de seis oficiales diputados, y maiordo- / mos, que se ha representado a VM, que se escu- / se, y que se introduscan en el, algunos Religio- / sos del orden de la hospitalidad, para el ali- / bio de los enfermos. A que respondo. El princi= pio de esta fundacion, fue un boxio [sic] a la par / te donde oy esta la Capilla de nuestra seño / ra de Altagracia, que era de una negra pia- / dosa, que recogia los pobres que podia, y / los Curaba, segun su posibilidad, por no / haver hospitalidad en esta Çiudad. Aumen- / tose por las limosnas de algunos vezinos, y / su primer Yglesia fue dicha Capilla. Vino a este tiempo por Governador de esta Ysla Don Ni= / colas de Obando Comendador de Arala, [sic] to / mo a su cargo esta santa obra, y edifico la / fabrica material, que oy tiene, applico todo / su peculio para ella, y por atencion a este / Cavallero, tan principal, protector de dicho hospital, se le dedico a Dios, con titulo de / San Nicolas. Dexo el Govierno de dicho hos / pital a seis administradores annuales, tres / diputados, y tres maiordomos, alternando cada / dos de ellos su semana para la assisten / cia, y Curacion de dichos pobres. Todos estos instrumentos autenticos, se quemaron, quando



ENGLISH TRANSLATION

The Archbishop of Santo Domingo Responds to the content on the Royal Decree of the Sixth of October of Ninety three, whereby Your Majesty orders to be informed of the construction of the San Nicolas Hospital, and its governance by six administrators and butlers.

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To cover the room that has been built for the recovery of the sick, and also twelve Black men and women to cultivate a farm owned by the said hospital, due to the need that said house is in= Item which the prosecutor leaves to the superior discretion of the council so that they reach what is most convenient

Madrid, October 20th of 1696=
Council, 26th of October, 696 [Rubric]
Seen [Rubric]

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Sir

By Royal Decree of 6th of October of ninety three, Your Majesty orders me to inform you of the qualities with which they built the hospital of San Nicolas; and as to the administration, regular, varied and annual by six deputies and butlers yearly that has been presented to Your Majesty, to excuse it and to introduce in it some clergy members of the order of hospitality to heal the sick. To this I respond that the origins of this foundation was a bohio, which was located at the site where the Chapel of Nuestra Señora de Altagracia lies today. It belonged to a pious Black woman who sheltered all the poor people she could and cured them as far as she was able to, for there were no. hospitals in this city. It expanded thanks to the alms of some residents and its first Church was the said Chapel. At this time, Don Nicolas de Ovando, Knight Commander of Arala [sic] , came as Governor of this island. He took charge of this holy project, and built the material construction that it now has. He put all his money into it, and to honor this such an important gentleman, protector of said hospital, it was dedicated to God with the name of San Nicolas. He left the governance of said hospital to six annual administrators, three deputies, and three butlers alternating every two of them their week to assist and heal the said poor. All of these authentic instruments were burned when



Saint Nicholas of Bari's Hospital

Saint Nicholas of Bari Hospital

Commentary

Besides the presence of a Black man named Juan Portugués in La Española accompanying Christopher Columbus in 1492, the next documented case of Blacks residing in the colony is that of a Black woman known as “the Black woman of the hospital.” This Black woman is mentioned in a 1695 report to the Crown by Santo Domingo’s archbishop who, answering the Crown’s inquiry, confirms the authenticity of stories about the Black woman who is said to have found the first hospital. She had entered the collective memory of the people of Santo Domingo as the first person to have rendered hospital services to those ill, from her hut, sometime between 1493 and 1501. The facility was improved after the arrival of Governor Nicolás de Ovando, who provided materials for the construction of what became the new hospital. The glory of founding the hospital was given to Ovando, while the only evidence about the Black woman’s contribution remained in the memory of the people.