Seville Heritage Park

Sevilla la Nueva was founded in 1509 as the first Spanish town in Jamaica, and it was built directly beside Maima, a substantial Taíno settlement, on a site the English later took over as a sugar estate. All three layers are on the same ground, which makes this the most complete archaeological sequence on the island: Taíno material, the Spanish church and governor's house foundations, and the later great house and works, along with the excavated remains of the village where enslaved Africans lived. The great house holds a museum. It is one of the few places in Jamaica where the whole sequence from before contact to emancipation is laid out in one walk.

What you actually see

• The Taíno settlement - the excavated village of Maima beside the Spanish town.
• The Spanish remains - foundations of the 1509 church and governor's house.
• The African village site - excavated dwellings of the enslaved community.
• The great house museum - the finds from all three periods.

When to go

December to April is drier. Mornings are cooler for walking the open site. It is rarely busy. Emancipation Day at the start of August brings commemorations here.

Honest expectations

Much of the site is grass and low foundations, so the museum and a guide carry the visit. Funding has been thin and presentation is dated in places. Signage is limited. It is a short drive from Ocho Rios but sees a fraction of the visitors, which is both its appeal and its problem.

Nearby

St Ann's Bay is next door; Ocho Rios is twenty minutes east.