The celebratory mood in the Old Capital yesterday was reminiscent of an expatriate returning to take his rightful place after years away from home.

Only 500 years ago, Jamaica was discovered and ruled by the Spanish who have, in recent years, taken to reinvesting heavily in the island.

The heat of the mid-morning sun was hardly enough to prevent scores of Jamaicans from lining the streets leading to Emancipation Square, Spanish Town, to greet King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía of Spain.

The Old Capital was alive with children attired in uniform, anxiously awaiting the royal couple. They screamed as posh cars piloted by police units sped down the streets into the historical square.

Screaming crowd

The royals waved at the crowd from their Mercedes Benz.

"Yow! See the Queen there! Wave at me!" one youth from the National Youth Service said excitedly to another as the cars whizzed by.

The cars came to a halt and the royal couple stepped outside.

"Hello! We love you!" shouted a group of screaming women cordoned off by yellow tape.

Spanish Town was Jamaica's first capital city, made so by the Spanish when they colonised the island after arriving in 1494.

Originally named St Jago de la Vega in 1534, its name was changed by the British after it was conquered by them in 1655. Spanish Town ceased being the capital in 1872, but its rich Spanish legacy is still quite visible in the architecture still standing in Emancipation Square.

National treasure

It is the oldest example of an original Spanish square in the western hemisphere.

"Spanish Town remains a national treasure and the Spanish contribution will live forever in this city," Mayor of Spanish Town, Dr Andrew Wheatley, told the King and Queen as he handed them the keys to the Old Capital.

The Spanish will give support to the restoration of the old city, which is being spearheaded by the Jamaica Heritage Trust and funded from the Tourism Enhancement Fund.

Following the handover of the keys, the couple was whisked away to the opening of a new wing of the Spanish Town Hospital, built with funding from the Spanish.

King Juan Carlos I of Spain (centre) speaks with Spanish Ambassador to Jamaica Jesús Silva during the opening of the King of Spain Wing at the Spanish Town Hospital yesterday. Joining in the discussion is Minister of Health and Environment Rudyard Spencer (left). The new wing, which has been named in honour of the king, was built with Spanish funding at a cost of $45 million.