Then the Spaniards showed up, and they came to stay. They weren’t just passing through for the beaches and the rum—though those are perks. They planted sugar cane, built colonial cities like Santo Domingo (the first European city in the Americas), and brought their language, religion, and a very strong sense of hierarchy.
So, if you’ve ever wondered why we call our mothers “Mamá” and scream “¡Dios mío!” during a baseball game, thank the Spanish. But they also brought something darker: a system of exploitation that needed cheap labor. And that’s where the next chapter gets heavy.
