Salt Interpretation Center

For more than three generations the Garcia family has been producing salt from sea water. The artisanal techniques that they use are the same techniques used during colonial times.

People have continually collected salt in this location since the 1500’s. Taino who lived in the area were the first to collect salt here. The Garcia – Grisanti Company began producing salt at the current location in the 1920’s. Then in the 1930’s, Dominican dictator Trujillo forced the Garcia – Grisanti Company to sell the works to him .

Later the company was able to regain ownership of the works after Trujillo’s assassination in 1961. It was at this time that the Garcia family gain sole ownership of these saltworks and those on Isla Cabra.

Currently Frederico Garcia Ricado, the grandson of Antonio Frederico de Jesus Garcia, owns and operates the saltworks. He is a third generation salt producer.

The Salt Interpretation Center was create to share the importance of salt in Monte Cristi’s history. In addition, to tell the story of the Garcia Family Saltworks.

After visiting the Salt Interpretation Centerm visit the Casa Garcia Ricardo in Monte Cristi’s historic center.

Did you know?

• Monte Cristi is the largest salt producer in the Dominican Republic.
• It is also believed that it is the oldest salt producing area in the western hemisphere.
• Red mangrove trees are vital sea salt production. The mangroves need to extract freshwater from the seawater that they live in in order to survive.  The trees  survive by filtering out the salt in the seawater. Their roots can filter out as much as 90 percent of the salt in the water. The mangrove excrete the salt that they extract form the water back into the water through glands in their leaves. The process helps to increase the water salinity as it flows throw the mangroves. The saltworks uses this “extra salty” water in the salt ponds to produce sea salt.