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With over a million people, the parish of St. Catherine has the largest share of Jamaica’s population. Spanish Town, the sedate parish capital, was Jamaica’s center of government until the British bureaucrats relocated to Kingston in 1872. Known simply as Spain or St. Jago in street lingo, the city has a rich heritage but has been largely left to decay.
Immediately west of Kingston, past the wharves and across the causeway is Portmore, a bedroom community supporting the overflow from the burgeoning corporate area. As the causeway meets land on the St. Catherine side of the water, Fort Augusta sits on a point overlooking the harbor.
Named after the mother of King George III, the fort was completed in the 1750s after an arduous construction process during which many workers suffered sickness and fevers. The area on which it was built was known as Mosquito Point. The fort was the sentinel on the harbor during a time when Spanish reprisals were still a tangible fear, and it served as a well-stocked arsenal.
Once a busy entry port for new arrivals to Spanish Town, Port Henderson today is little more than an extension of Portmore. There are several budget hotels like Casablanca (2–4 Port Henderson Rd., tel. 876/939-6999, US$44–51), which has air-conditioning, cable, and hot water, and even includes complimentary breakfast for two, but it sees very few tourists.
Fort Clarence (admission US$1.50) is the nicest beach in the greater Kingston area. It is usually well maintained, but it can accumulate seaweed and trash the farther away you go from the main area where the admission fee is charged. It is just east around the bend from Hellshire.
Once a quiet anglers’ beach, Hellshire has become the quintessential rustic chic weekend hangout, with prices varying widely depending on the appearance of customers at many of the beach shack restaurants.
Managed by the Urban Development Corporation (tel. 876/999-2283 or 876/953-9238, 9 a.m.–6 p.m. Wed.–Sun., admission US$3 for adults, US$2 for children), Two Sisters Cave was a regular hangout for the first Jamaicans centuries ago. Two cavernous caves, one with a deep pool suitable for swimming, lie about 100 meters apart down a series of steps. Security personnel no longer allow swimming.
Originally founded as Villa de la Vega or Santiago de la Vega by the Spanish, the city was named Spanish Town after the British takeover in 1655. The old part of the city is well organized in a grid with Spanish Town Square at its center.
Spanish Town Square was laid out by Jamaica’s first colonial rulers as their Plaza Mayor.
The People’s Museum of Craft and Technology (call caretaker Tyrone "Arab" Barnett to schedule a visit, cell tel. 876/384-2803, tel. 876/907-0322, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mon.–Thurs., till 3 p.m.
