Hello boys and girls, we would like you to join us for our adventure into the time capsule. You will become a time traveler for the next few weeks. Experience time travel and the evolution of your surroundings as you move through time. While travelling through time, you will observe the changes of our country, Trinidad and Tobago. It’s easy to think of history as a list of dates, names, and events. However, when you look closer, you’ll see that history is full of stories about real people who have faced challenges and made choices, just like us. In fact, studying history can help us better understand the present and make more informed decisions about the future.

We are taking you on a journey from the sixteen century to the eighteen century.

• Did you know St Joseph was the first capital of Trinidad and Tobago? Port of Spain became the capital of Trinidad in the eighteen century. St Joseph was founded in 1592 by Antonio de Berrio and is the oldest town in Trinidadand Tobago.
• The St Joseph church is one of the oldest buildings in the country. The church survived the British conquest, but in 1810 the old building collapsed. Sir Ralph Woodford, the new British Governor, raised sufficient funds to rebuild the church on its original foundations.
• Antonio de Berrio came in search of Eldorado (the mythical land of gold); he took official possession of the island and founded San José of Oruña (now Saint Joseph), which served as the capital until 1784.

Hello boys and girls, I hope you are enjoying your JAVA holidays, and having fun learning about the history of your country. We move from St. Joseph which was the first capital of Trinidad into Port of Spain.
The city of Port of Spain has quite a fascinating history. The first Catholic Church in Port of Spain was built in 1781 by the Spanish governor Martin de Salverria on what now known as Tamarind Square.
The English governor Sir Ralph Woodford decided to build a church better suited to the growing and mainly Catholic population.

Dr James Buckley, Vicar Apostolic to the Holy See, arrived in Trinidad in March 1820 and the church became a Cathedral. In 1851, Pope Pius IX declared that the cathedral was to rank as a Minor Basilica.
On September 2, the twin towers, originally built of stone, were destroyed by an earthquake and rebuilt in wood as they are today.

The towers contain 12 bells and a clock, added in 1879.

Boys and girls, which is the most magnificent?

Most historical buildings in Trinidad and Tobago are in Port of Spain, Trinidad. These buildings were built from the country’s long colonial history. The Archbishop’s House is one of the Magnificent Seven around the Queen’s Park Savannah.

The Archbishop’s Palace was built in 1903 by the fifth Archbishop of Port of Spain, Patrick Vincent Flood. With the dignity of his office, the Archbishop decided to construct a palatial residence.

Around the Queen’s Park Savannah, you will be amazed at the architecture—hundreds-of-years-old Victorian-styled mansions known as the Magnificent Seven.

Which one is the most magnificent? You tell us after completing the two activities.