History of Haiti
Following the arrival of Europeans, La Hispaniola's indigenous population suffered greatly to near extinction, in possibly the worst case of depopulation in the Americas. A commonly accepted hypothesis attributes the high mortality of this colony in part to European diseases to which the natives had no immunity. A small number of Taínos were able to survive and set up villages elsewhere. Spanish interest in Hispaniola began to wane in the 1520s, as more lucrative gold and silver deposits were found in Mexico and South America. Thereafter, the population of Spanish Hispaniola grew at a slow pace.
White Dominicans
White Dominicans () are Dominicans of complete or predominant European descent. They represent 16.1% of the Dominican Republic's population, according to the last population census in which race was queried. The majority of white Dominicans are descendants from the first European settlers to arrive in Hispaniola and have ancestry of the Canary Islanders, Portuguese, mainland Spanish, and French settlers’ lineage who settled in the island during colonial times. Many others are also descendants from white Levantines, Italians, Dutchmen, Germans, Hungarians, Americans, and other nationalities who have migrated between the 19th and 20th centuries.