NESTLED in St Mary, is the Rio Nuevo Battle Site where the English won the final battle for control over Jamaica against the Spanish in 1658.

Though long considered a central part of Jamaican history, the site was opened in 2007 and the onsite museum was built in August 2009.

While historical accounts of how the English took control of the island in this crucial battle tend to be boring, visiting the site sparks interest because of the how the story is told throughout the tour. When the English arrived in Seville they had already taken over St Jago de la Vega, now known as Spanish Town, and Port Royal.

With a tour guide leading the way, you can check out the museum which is filled with artefacts from the Taino society, like the bones of sacrificed animals, as well as pieces of Spanish, English, and Maroon history.

Along with the museum tour, you can head down to the beach and see the places used by the English to invade Rio Nuevo and the cliffs from where several Spanish soldiers jumped to their death to escape being killed by the English.

Imagine if events had turned out differently at the Battle of Rio Nuevo, we would all be speaking Spanish.

TEENage highly recommends that you take the trip to learn about the interesting history of Jamaica’s unofficial first capital.