Congos de Villa Mella

In the outskirts of Santo Domingo, Villa Mella is home to the Cofradia de Los Congos del Espiritu Santo or Brotherhood of the Holy Spirit of the Congos of Villa Mella. The Brotherhood, founded in 1503 by formerly enslaved from West-Central Africans brought to the island at the earlier stages of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, was recognized by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2001 for their contributions to the preservation of African cultural and spiritual traditions. I had a chance to visit and learn from them in 2018 when these photographs were taken. This post is in honor of the legendary Vale Toño, who joined the ancestors in October 2020.