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Santo Domingo
KNOWLEDGE OF Santo Domingo
In essence, Santo Domingo's history is the history of the Europeanization of the Americas. It is a history of conquest, revolution, and ultimately of the triumph of the human spirit.
Before the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492, the Taino Indians populated the island of Hispaniola, including the part now occupied by the Dominican Republic. At that time, a chieftain or cacique ruled the island through a complex, centralized government, a fact completely lost on the Europeans, who dismissed the natives as "savages." The Taino civilization effectively ended on October 12, 1492, with the arrival of Christopher Columbus, who declared Hispaniola "the most beautiful land that human eyes have ever seen."
Bartholomew Columbus, brother of Christopher Columbus, founded Santo Domingo, which is today the oldest European city founded by Europeans in the New World. In reality the city dates back to 1496, the period when the first Europeans settled there, although officially it was founded on August 5, 1498. Remnants of the original city can still be seen today throughout the Colonial Zone, which was declared a World Cultural Patrimony by UNESCO in 1994. This Colonial Zone section, bordered by the Río Ozama, has an impressive collection of 16th-century buildings, including palatial houses and majestic churches that reflect the architectural style of the late medieval period.
The city's most important colonial buildings include the Catedral Primada de América, which is the first Catholic Cathedral in the New World; the Alcázar de Colón, once the residence of Don Diego Colón, the son of Christopher Columbus who became viceroy of the colony; the Monasterio de San Francisco, the ruins of the first monastery in the Americas; the Museo de las Casas Reales, the former Palace of the Governor General and the Palace of Royal Audiences; the Parque Colón, a historic square; the Fortaleza Ozama, the oldest fortress in the New World; the Panteón Nacional, a former Jesuit now hosting the remains of various renown Dominicans; and the Iglesia del Convento Dominico, the first convent in the Americas.
Throughout its first century, Santo Domingo was the launching pad for much of the exploration and conquest of the New World. The expeditions that led to Ponce de Leon's "discovery" of Puerto Rico, Hernan Cortes' conquest of Mexico and Balboa's sighting of the Pacific Ocean all started from Santo Domingo.
Before the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492, the Taino Indians populated the island of Hispaniola, including the part now occupied by the Dominican Republic. At that time, a chieftain or cacique ruled the island through a complex, centralized government, a fact completely lost on the Europeans, who dismissed the natives as "savages." The Taino civilization effectively ended on October 12, 1492, with the arrival of Christopher Columbus, who declared Hispaniola "the most beautiful land that human eyes have ever seen."
Bartholomew Columbus, brother of Christopher Columbus, founded Santo Domingo, which is today the oldest European city founded by Europeans in the New World. In reality the city dates back to 1496, the period when the first Europeans settled there, although officially it was founded on August 5, 1498. Remnants of the original city can still be seen today throughout the Colonial Zone, which was declared a World Cultural Patrimony by UNESCO in 1994. This Colonial Zone section, bordered by the Río Ozama, has an impressive collection of 16th-century buildings, including palatial houses and majestic churches that reflect the architectural style of the late medieval period.
The city's most important colonial buildings include the Catedral Primada de América, which is the first Catholic Cathedral in the New World; the Alcázar de Colón, once the residence of Don Diego Colón, the son of Christopher Columbus who became viceroy of the colony; the Monasterio de San Francisco, the ruins of the first monastery in the Americas; the Museo de las Casas Reales, the former Palace of the Governor General and the Palace of Royal Audiences; the Parque Colón, a historic square; the Fortaleza Ozama, the oldest fortress in the New World; the Panteón Nacional, a former Jesuit now hosting the remains of various renown Dominicans; and the Iglesia del Convento Dominico, the first convent in the Americas.
Throughout its first century, Santo Domingo was the launching pad for much of the exploration and conquest of the New World. The expeditions that led to Ponce de Leon's "discovery" of Puerto Rico, Hernan Cortes' conquest of Mexico and Balboa's sighting of the Pacific Ocean all started from Santo Domingo.
Chapi