Nizao
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| Nizao | |
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| Peravia Province Statistics | |
| Capital: | Baní |
| Counties: | Baní, Nizao |
| Area: | 998 km² |
| Population (2000 est.): | 154,721 |
| Population Density: | 155.0 / km² |
| Economy: | Agriculture, Salt, Tourism |
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Nizao is a city in the province of Peravia in the Dominican Republic.
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[edit] General Information
Nizao is a city in the Dominican Republic and capital of the Nizao Municipality. It is the second large municipality of the Peravia Province and is located in southeastern corner of this province, in the angle formed by the estuary of the Nizao River and the Caribbean Sea coast. The Nizao Municipality is divided into two municipal districts, Santana and Pizarrete, and one municipal section, Don Gregorio. Nizao was elevated to the category of Municipal District on January 1st, 1945 and to Municipality in 1989. As a municipality, Nizao elected its authorities (Mayor and councilmen) for the first time in the 1990 general elections, in which were elected Salvador Clemente Pérez Pérez, a school teacher, as its first mayor and Juan Bautista Salvador (Guancho), Confesor Meléndez (Confe), Ramón Garcia Valdez (Ramón Garganta), Isidro Indalecio Valdez and Víctor Pérez as its first councilmen. It's believe that Nizao and the town of Don Gregorio will merge into one city in the future.
The economy of Nizao County for decades was based on the agriculture, especially rice, onion, chilis, tomato, etc., which has been substituted, to a large extent due to the international emigration of the Nizao people, the demographic and urban growth that has reduced the arable lands, by the rented labor, the motoconcho (motorcycles transportation system in the Dominican Republic) and the export of players to American professional baseball. Fishing has another major impact in Nizao economy. Nizao also has a beautiful beach that extends for almost 3 km (3.10 miles) from Don Gregorio to Catalina, Baní. Early in the 1980s. all farmers who owned land close to the beach sold their properties to Complejo Vacasional (COVACASA) Consortium. More than 50 houses, a club house, and an artificial lake, were built and sold to individual owners as vacation homes. No further tourist projects have been developed since then and the beach continues to be raw and beautiful.
To take advantage of the rice plantations in the area, two rice mills were build in Nizao in the late 60s and early 70s. One by Federico Valdez (Fillo) and the other by Ramon Tejeda Guerrero (Mon Tonila). Both are now out of business. Later in the 80s and 90s one big one was established by Mercedes Brothers on Santana road and a small one by Gonzalez brothers in el Zapotal. Rice was for decades the most important economic venue of Nizao, but that has changed since Nizao has becomed more urbanized.
The current mayor of Nizao is Lic. Salvador Gomez -Boy, elected in the last congressional and municipal elections on August 16, 2006.
[edit] The People
According to the latest National Census of Population and Family (Censo Nacional de Poblacion y Familia) [1]conducted in 2002, Nizao City population was 6,188 people while the total population for the entire municipality, including its two districts, was 22, 850 people. Nizao people are of mixed race of Canary Islands and of african slaves descendants. Nizao people are recognized as hard working and friendly.
Nizao is subdivided into four peripheral sectors or wards:
[edit] El Zapotal
El Zapotal is plain located on top of a hill to the northeast and which used to be a municipal section. El Zapotal was a sugarcane mill and plantaion during the colonial times then inhabited by the families Gonzalez and Lorenzo. It’s rich in agriculture.
[edit] Mono Mojao
Mono Mojao (wet monkey) is located to north around the baseball field.
[edit] Media Blanca
Media Blanca (white stocking) is located to the west/northwest. It is the most folkloric and ethnic part of Nizao. African roots, beliefs, and culture are strong in this part of the city. Perdomo and Valdez families are the larger family groups in this sector.
[edit] Ciudad Nueva
Ciudad Nueva (new city) is located to the southeast.
The remaining area is just called Nizao. The city is also growing to the southwest part with the incorporation of the Ciudad del Niño area, a few houses constructed along Marcos A. Cabral canal (La Regola), on the Mercedes family estates.
[edit] History
Nizao was an original settlement of Canary Islands immigrant families to the northeast of Don Gregorio Gonsales sugar mill (the actual town of Don Gregorio) and to the south of Zapote Plantation sugar mill (El Zapotal as for today) an on the hill overseeing the Nizao river and the Caribbean sea. Late in the 19th century, the top of Nizao hill become a battlefield due to the confrontation of the militants of the two bloody Dominican political parties, Los Bolos (tailless) and Coludos (long tail). This battle took place around the El Tamarindo (tamarind tree) on Juan Pablo Duarte square.
[edit] Education
The City of Nizao has two school: one elementary school (Escuela Primaria) and one high school (Liceo). Both schools were housed in the same facility called Aliro Paulino Elementary and Aliro Paulino High School. Aliro Paulino was a personal teacher of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo's family. He was originally from Don Gregorio. Aliro Paulino High School, today Nizao high School, was an evening school that operated in th Aliro Paulino Elementary school from 1978 to the year 2000 when its new facility opened its doors at the corner of Maximo Gomez and Gaston F Deligne (southbound) streets.
[edit] Religion
As it's also the whole Dominican Republic, more than 90% of Nizaeros say they are Catholic, even though less than 5% actually go to church. There are also different groups of protestants in Nizao, of whom Pentecostals are the larger group. There are also Mormon (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) and Seventh-day Adventist Church temples in Nizao.
[edit] Churches:
- Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes Catholic Church, at the corners of Duarte, Sánchez, and Maria Trinidad Sánchez streets.
- Iglesia Evangelica Peniel, at Duarte street.
- Seventh-day Adventist Temple, at Ruben Perdomo street.
- Iglesia Evangelica Asamblea de Dios, Sanchez street.
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) Temple, at Mella street.
[edit] Trivia
- The border between Nizao and Don Gregorio is called La Pava creek. It's a haunted place.
- The people of Nizao went to Nizao Municipal Building to overthrow their mayor in the 50s.
- All Nizao fishermen belong to a single family, Santana Gómez, and all live in Ciudad Nueva.
- For decades, discothèques El San Antonio and Johnny bar were rivals. The two have disappeared.
- Leonor Mercedes, Pasón, once converted his old house into a bar. The house was so narrow that he had to extend it to the back, then the house became so long that people called El Túnel (the tunnel).
[edit] Notable people from Nizao
- Deivi Cruz, professional baseball player.[2]
- Modesto DeLaPaz, Business, Financial and Infrastructure developer.
- Salvador Gomez, current mayor of Nizao.
- Vladimir Guerrero, professional baseball player.[3]
- Wilson Valdez, professional baseball player.[4]
- Dr. Manuel Eduardo Valdez, one of the best oftalmologist of the Dominican Republic.[5]
- Efrain Valdez, professional Baseball player.[6]
