No, the wicked city wasn’t Sodom or Gomorrah — it was Port Royal, Jamaica.

The English, after failing to capture Hispaniola from Spain for Oliver Cromwell, grabbed up Jamaica instead in 1655. In the later part of the century, Port Royal was one of the biggest English cities in the Americas (along with Boston).

Port Royal had a lucky location, trade-wise: right at the separation between Kingston Harbor and the Caribbean. The deep water near the shore also made it easy for ships to unload and reload cargo.

The city became very wealthy, largely due to privateering and piracy.

Port Royal was riding high and just beginning to understand what kind of money could be made from plantation owning as opposed to piracy when tragedy struck.

Although the city’s location was lucky for trade, it was disastrous in terms of stability: It was located on a sand spit not far above the water table.