King And Queen Tour Exhibition at Institute of Jamaica

Their Majesties, King Juan Carlos I, and Queen Sofia of Spain, today (February 17), participated in an official tour of an exhibition, titled ‘Xaymaca: Life in Spanish Jamaica’, at the Institute of Jamaica, in downtown Kingston.
The ‘Xaymaca: Life in Spanish Jamaica’ (1495 to 1655), tells the story of the Spanish experience in Jamaica from the time of Columbus’ arrival in 1494, until the time of the island’s complete conquest by the English in 1660. Their Majesties were guided on the tour by Curator, Dr. Johnathan Greenland, and Chairman of the Board of Management of the Museums of History and Ethnography, Dr. Tortello-Greenland.
Minister of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports, Olivia Grange, headed the list of officials and guests participating in the tour, which included former Prime Minister, Edward Seaga; Spanish Ambassador, Jesus Silva; Chairman of the Institute, Professor Barry Chevannes, Executive Director of the Institute, Vivian Crawford and other officials. The tour formed part of the two-day State visit of Their Majesties, who arrived in the island today.
Chairman of the Institute, Professor Barry Chevannes, in an interview with JIS News, noted that the presentation of the Spanish period was very important for them to see, as “it was a period that Jamaica was under Spanish rule.”
Professor Chevannes said Their Majesties were very impressed with what they saw.
Member of the Council, at the Institute, Barbara Gloudon, noted that the tour was integral to the visit, based on the remarkable artefacts and the wealth of information which the Institute houses.
“If you are bringing someone whose history is integral to what happened, to Jamaica, the Institute is the best place to take them,” she added. Mrs. Gloudon, who is a well known talk show host, commended the curators for the “remarkable job” they had done “in getting all these artefacts,” adding that it is most fitting that Their Majesties visited the Institute.