Sabana Grande de Boyá is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

(''

municipio A ' () or ' () is an administrative division in several Hispanophone and Lusophone nations, respectively. It is often translated as "municipality." It comes from ''mūnicipium'' (), meaning a township. In English, a municipality often is define ...

'') of the

Monte Plata Monte Plata is a town, Municipalities of the Dominican Republic, municipality (''municipio'') and the capital city, capital of the Monte Plata Province, Monte Plata Provinces of the Dominican Republic, province in the Dominican Republic. It inclu ...

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

in the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

. It includes the municipal districts (''distritos municipal'') of

Gonzalo Gonzalo may refer to: * Gonzalo (name) * Gonzalo, Dominican Republic, a small town * Isla Gonzalo, a subantarctic island operated by the Chilean Navy * Hurricane Gonzalo, 2014 See also

* Gonzalez (disambiguation) * Gonzales (disambiguatio ...

and Majagual.

History

It was founded by Enrique Bejo (

Enriquillo Enrique (1498–1535), best known as Enriquillo, was a Taíno people, Taíno cacique who rebelled against the Spaniards between 1519 and 1533. Enriquillo's rebellion is the best known rebellion of the early Caribbean period. He was born on the ...

), the Taino chief of Jaragua and hero of Bahoruco, after 14 years of struggle. Having managed to force the authorities of

Santo Domingo Santo Domingo, formerly known as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic and the List of metropolitan areas in the Caribbean, largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean by population. the Distrito Na ...

to sign a peace treaty, he decided to retire to Boyá in 1533, where he later died. His remains are at the point where a temple was later built. The last Tainos on the island were exterminated in the town of Boyá and, therefore, it has been called the "last redoubt of the indigenous race" of Santo Domingo. By the late 16th century, the population was made up of only 13 Spanish families and was mostly forgotten. The town experienced its greatest population growth during the 1940s, a time when the sowing, cultivation and harvesting of sugar cane also began, an activity directed by the then president of the Dominican Republic, the tyrant

Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina ( ; ; 24 October 1891 – 30 May 1961), nicknamed ''El Jefe'' (; "the boss"), was a Dominican military officer and dictator who ruled the Dominican Republic from August 1930 until his assassination in May 1961 ...

. The sugarcane production attracted a large number of families from different parts of the country as well as other parts of the Caribbean, and settled in these properties in search of a better income. Sabana Grande de Boya is the hometown of Elly de la Cruz, shortstop of the Cincinnati Reds, and Jose Siri, center field of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Economy

The economy of the town is based on livestock, agriculture and remittances received from abroad, specifically from the United States and Europe.

Notable residents

* Elly De La Cruz (born 2002), infielder for the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

* José Siri (born 1995), outfielder for the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

File:Sabana_Grande_de_Boya_Dominican_Republic_3.jpg File:Sabana_Grande_de_Boya_Dominican_Republic_2.jpg File:Sabana_Grande_de_Boya.jpg

References

Populated places in Monte Plata Province Municipalities of the Dominican Republic {{DominicanRepublic-geo-stub