Qualla: Battle of Ocho Rios https://qualla.com/battle-of-ocho-rios en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:13 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/d/7/3/0/battle-of-ocho-rios-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: Battle of Ocho Rios https://qualla.com/battle-of-ocho-rios Battle of Ocho Rios: Introduction https://qualla.com/battle-of-ocho-rios/ Photo credit Carport, CC BY-SA 3.0. Today the waterfalls at Dunn's River draw tourists by the thousands, who climb the limestone cascades in swimsuits and water shoes, clutching each other's hands in a human chain. On October 30, 1657, English militia scrambled up this same stretch of Jamaican coastline for very different reasons. Somewhere near these falls, close to the landing point the Spanish called Las Chorreras, a battle was fought that would determine whether Jamaica remained an English possession or returned to Spain. The engagement was short. Its consequences were not.

Read more: Battle of Ocho Rios on Qualla

Image: Carport | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/7/3/0/battle-of-ocho-rios-wp/d730-battle-of-ocho-rios-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Battle of Ocho Rios: An Island That Killed Its Governors https://qualla.com/battle-of-ocho-rios/ Photo credit Carport, CC BY-SA 3.0. England's seizure of Jamaica in 1655 was part of Oliver Cromwell's Western Design, an ambitious -- and largely bungled -- campaign to break Spanish dominance in the Caribbean. The invasion force took the island, but holding it proved far harder than taking it. Tropical disease de...

Read more: Battle of Ocho Rios on Qualla

Image: Carport | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/7/3/0/battle-of-ocho-rios-wp/d730-battle-of-ocho-rios-an-island-that-killed-its-governors.mp3 0:06 2 full Battle of Ocho Rios: The Governor in the Hills https://qualla.com/battle-of-ocho-rios/ Photo credit Carport, CC BY-SA 3.0. While D'Oyley struggled to keep his garrison alive, the man he had displaced was planning a comeback. Cristobal Arnaldo Isasi, the former Spanish governor, had not fled Jamaica when the English arrived. Instead, he retreated into the mountainous interior with a group of formerly ...

Read more: Battle of Ocho Rios on Qualla

Image: Carport | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/7/3/0/battle-of-ocho-rios-wp/d730-battle-of-ocho-rios-the-governor-in-the-hills.mp3 0:06 3 full Battle of Ocho Rios: D'Oyley Sails North https://qualla.com/battle-of-ocho-rios/ Photo credit Carport, CC BY-SA 3.0. It was not. D'Oyley had received reports of Spanish ships spotted off Jamaica's northern coast, and he did not wait for Isasi to march south. Instead, he loaded roughly 900 militia onto boats and sailed around the island to meet the threat head-on. When the English force landed n...

Read more: Battle of Ocho Rios on Qualla

Image: Carport | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/7/3/0/battle-of-ocho-rios-wp/d730-battle-of-ocho-rios-doyley-sails-north.mp3 0:06 4 full Battle of Ocho Rios: The Same Trick, Twice https://qualla.com/battle-of-ocho-rios/ Photo credit Carport, CC BY-SA 3.0. Isasi was persistent, if nothing else. In 1658, he tried again, this time landing reinforcements from New Spain at Rio Nuevo, farther east along the coast. He had learned from Ocho Rios and built a fort to anchor his position. D'Oyley responded with the same tactic that had worke...

Read more: Battle of Ocho Rios on Qualla

Image: Carport | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/7/3/0/battle-of-ocho-rios-wp/d730-battle-of-ocho-rios-the-same-trick-twice.mp3 0:06 5 full