This whole thread is amazing!!!
Thank you, thank you so much!
"The migration he fails to write about, and probably the most important one to la Sierra, was the Canary migration, which started in the Cibao region in the 1680's. Thanks to the continuous French expansion in the western part of the island, and the constant pillage of Dominican towns by the French, the Spaniards decided to send hundreds of Canary families to resettle the colony of Santo Domingo, these were especially sent to strategic points in the island, many re-founding the towns of Dajabon, Montecristi and Puerto Plata which had been destroyed a century earlier. Only a handful of Canary families were originally sent to the Sierra region, since unlike like the under aforementioned places, La sierra was not seen as strategically important to halt the French expansion the island. Yet, many of the Canary families originally sent to Dajabon, Montecristi and Puerto Plata eventually found their way to la Sierra and settled there instead. It is assume and I think recorded, though I can't remember by whom, that the Canarians hated the coastal tropical climate of Puerto Plata and Montecristi, thus many would re-settle in places with climates more pleasant to them such as la Sierra. Many of the Canary families who could afford to, would even return to the Canary Islands. In any case, hopefully someone will find an ancestor or some answers in this detailed work on the Bisono and other Serrano families.[/QUOTE]
It seems there are a lot of people who carry Canary blood in Azua too.
By the way, this is just a thought, but I'm surprised by the fact these settlers from the Canary Islands couldn't stand the tropical climate of the coast when they come from a subtropical archipielago that ranges from semidesertic climate with scarce rain and cacti to a humid tropical one. Anyway, I also prefer the inland mountain climate.