Ideally situated on the Gulf of Gonave, allowing it to have a natural harbor, Port-au-Prince-PAP had a very active trading history long before Columbus's arrival. The Tainos, who controlled the region, regularly traded and actively used the ports. The Taino people arrived in the Caribbean from northern South America, inhabited the islands, and established chiefdoms. Along with the Tainos, small groups of Africans traveling back and forth from Africa to various parts of the world also settled on the islands and lived with the Taino people.
PAP during Taino rule:
During the Taino era, PAP was part of the Xaragua chiefdom. When the Spanish arrived, the region was controlled by Cacique (Chief) Bohechio, the brother of Cacica (woman chief) Anacaona. Taino settlements were away from the coats for preventative measures as the Tainos and the other major group that lived there, the Caribs, did not get along. The plain areas were primarily used for hunting small animals. Tainos ruled the area until the Spanish arrival in 1492.
Due to harsh treatment and genocide committed by the Spanish, the Taino population declined significantly. Although the Taino people and leaders such as Anacaona and Enriquillo fought back and staged multiple rebellious acts, they weren't successful, and many intermarried with Africans and passed down their knowledge of the region and culture.
The Various Names of PAP:
Around 1650, French settlers and Dutch merchants, and others referred to as buccaneers, began to use the area, and French settlers being the bigger groups, established a settlement. As the population grew, they set up a hospital, leading to the area being known as Hopital. In 1697, the Treaty of Ryswick ceded the western third of the island to France, becoming an official French colony. The first order of business was to eliminate pirates and other potential threats from the area.
In 1706, a French captain named de Saint-Andre sailed into the bay on a ship named Le Prince. According to historians, de Saint-Andre named the area Port-au-Prince, which means port of the prince. However, the area continued to be referred to as Hopital. By 1749, the French administration decided to choose an official capital for Saint-Domingue; Leogane and Petit-Goave were strong contenders, but instead, PAP was made into a new city and became the capital.
After just 21 years of being the capital, PAP replaced Cap-Francais (currently Cap-Haitien) as Saint-Domingue's capital in 1770. It was then briefly renamed Port Republicain after the French Revolution of 1789.
In 1804 PAP was named the capital of the newly formed Black Empire of Hayti under Emperor Jacques. When the Emperor was assassinated in 1806, the country was divided in two, and PAP became the capital of the south under Alexandre Petion. King Henri Christophe, in the north, referred to the city as " Port-aux-Crimes." as a reference to the Emperor being assassinated. in the northern area of PAP. When the country was reunited in 1820, PAP maintained its status as the capital.
In 1949, to commemorate the 200th anniversary of PAP, the Dumarsais administration, under the leadership of President Estime Dumarsais, organized a world fair, Exposition Internationale du Bicentenaire de Port-au-Prince. It was a well-organized and successful event to honor the city's anniversary.