Category Archives: COLONIAL ZONE SIGHTS, MONUMENTS & PARKS

Contents of Category COLONIAL ZONE AND SANTO DOMINGO – SIGHTS & MONUMENTS

History of the old city of Santo Domingo now known as the Zona Colonial.

Colonial Zone Map

The Monuments, Museums and Sights of the Colonial City.

Buildings/Edificios – Monuments/Monumentos

Alcázar de Colón / Columbus Royal Palace
CASA CABALLERO
CASA DE BASTIDAS
CASA DE JUAN VILORIA
CASA DE LOS DÁVILA / CAPILLA DE LOS REMEDIOS
CASA DE LOS JESUITAS
CASA DE LAS GÁRGOLAS
CASA DE LOS MEDALLONES
CASA DEL CORDÓN
CASA DEL SACRAMENTO
CASA DEL TAPAO
CASA DEL TOSTADO
CASA DE LAS ACADEMIAS
CASA HERNÁN CORTÉS
CASA REALES AND MUSEO
COLEGIO DE GORJÓN
COLONIAL CULVERTS
COLUMBUS PALACE
MONTECINO THE MAN AND MONUMENT
PALACIO CONSISTORIAL
PALACIO DE BORGELLÁ
Palacete Vicini
Palacete Vicini
SUN DIAL
RUINS OF THE SAN FRANCISCO MONASTERY
RUINAS HOSPITAL SAN NICOLÁS DE BARI
Puerta de las Atarazans
Puerta de la Misericordia/ Gate of Mercy
Fuerte and Puerta San Diego
Residencia de Ovando/ Governor Nicolás Ovando’s Residence
Altar de la Patria/ Altar of the Nation
Puerta el Conde/ Door of the Conde

CHURCHES / IGLESIAS

CAPILLA DE LA TERCERA ORDEN DOMINICA
CASA DE LOS DÁVILA / CAPILLA DE LOS REMEDIOS
CATEDRAL DE SANTO DOMINGO
CHAPEL OF THE ROSARY
ERMITA DE SAN ANTÓN
IGLESIA ALTAGRACIA
IGLESIA – FUERTE SANTA BARBARA
IGLESIA LAS MERCEDES
IGLESIA LOS DOMINICOS
IGLESIA NUESTRA SEÑORA DEL CARMEN
IGLESIA REGINA ANGELORUM
IGLESIA SAN LAZARO
IGLESIA DE SANTA CLARA
LA CAPILLA DE SAN ANDRÉS
LAS MERCEDES
CAPILLA DE LA TERCERA ORDEN FRANCISCANA
IGLESIA DE SAN MIGUEL
PANTEÓN NACIONAL / NATIONAL PANTHEON

FORTS AND FORTALEZAS

Fortaleza Ozama
Inside The Walls of the Fortaleza Ozama
FUERTE CARINA AND ANGULO
FUERTE SAN GIL
IGLESIA – FUERTE SANTA BARBARA
FUERTE AND PARQUE SAN JOSÉ
FUERTE DE LA CONCEPCIÓN
FUERTE INVINCIBLE AND SAN DIEGO
Fuerte de San Anton
Fuerte San Francisco
Fuerte de San Miguel
Fuerte de San Lazaro
Fuerte de la Caridad
Bastión de San Genaro
Fuerte Invincible
Fuerte San Diego
Puerta San Diego
Bateria del Almirante
Puerta Atarazana
Puerta de la Misericordia
Residencia de Governor Nicolás Ovando

MUSEUMS-GALLERIES-THEATERS

CASA DE BASTIDAS – Trampolín, Museo Infantil
CASA DEL TOSTADO – Museo de la Familia Dominicano
CASA DE LOS MEDALLONES – Museo Numismático Dominicano
COLEGIO DE GORJÓN – Centro Cultural de España
CASA REALES AND MUSEO
COLUMBUS PALACE – MUSEO ALCAZAR DE COLÓN
Museo de la Porcelana/ Museum of Porcelain
Casa de Teatro
Museo Naval de las Atarazanas/ Naval Museum of the Atarazanas
Memorial Museum of Dominican Resistance / El Museo Memorial de la Resistencia Dominicana
Museum of Telecommunications / Museo de las Telecomunicaciones (CCT)

*Museos from old html web site not yet added to the new site:

Amber World Museum
Larimar Factory
Larimar Museum
Museo del Tabaco/ The Tobacco Museum
Museo de Juan Pablo Duarte/ Museum of Juan Pablo Duarte
Museo del Ron y la Caña / Museum of Rum and Sugar Cane

PARKS AND PLAZAS

CEIBA DE COLON
PARQUE PLAZA MARIA TRINIDAD SANCHEZ
PLAZA DE LA POESÍA
PARQUE PELLERANO CASTRO – PARQUE ROSADO
PARQUE DUARTE & THE MONUMENT
FUERTE AND PARQUE SAN JOSÉ
Playa Placer de los Estudios
Cementerio Nacional de la Avenida Independencia/ National Cemetery Avenue Independencia (Picture album – Cementerio Nacional)
PLAZA DE LA POESÍA
FUERTE AND PARQUE SAN JOSÉ
Playa Placer de los Estudios
Plaza Bartolomé de las Casas
Plazoleta Padre Billini
Plaza at Ermita de San Anton
Plaza María de Toledo
Parque Colón/ Columbus Park
Parque Independencia/ Independence Park

*Parks and Plazas from old html web site not yet added to the new site:

Malecón – The seaside road
Plaza de España or Plaza de Armas
Plazoleta y Callejónde los Curas/ Plaza and Alley of the Cures

STATUES
Fray Bartolomé Las Casas
Cristóbal Colón
MONTECINO THE MAN AND MONUMENT
Poet Julia de Burgos
Monument to the Japanese Agricultural Immigration
Sculpture Homeless Jesus / Escultura Jesús Desamparado
Ornamental Fountain Monument
Sculpture of Juan Pablo Duarte
The Statue of General Matías Ramón Mella
Monumento Marina de Guerra
Monumento a la Caña
Memorial Column to the Shipwreck of the Sloop Aurora

STREETS/CALLES
CALLE EL CONDE
CALLE LAS DAMAS
CALLE HOSTOS

*Streets and Calles from old html web site not yet added to the new site:

Malecón – The seaside road

Antiguo Palacio Arzobispal

Antiguo Palacio Arzobispal / Old Archbishop’s Palace

The Antiguo Palacio Arzobispal / Old Archbishop’s Palace, the building has always had bad luck surrounding it. Now all that is left are memories and a few old walls.

The wall of the Antiguo Palacio Arzobispal is now the wall of the Plaza Bartolomé de las Casas on Calle Padre Billini and Arz. Meriño.
The wall of the Antiguo Palacio Arzobispal is now the wall of the Plaza Bartolomé de las Casas on Calle Padre Billini and Arz. Meriño.

Antiguo Palacio Arzobispal |Edificio Fundamental del Barroco Andaluz | Home of Bartolomé de las Casas | The Colegio Dominicano de la Salle | Bull Fighting | Other Uses of the Property | Location |

The Archbishop’s Palace was the residence of the Head of the Dominican Church until 1933. Many of the occupants included Archbishops Dávila, Padilla, Rodríguez, Portillo, Cocchia, Meriño and Nouel.

The old Archbishops Palace, once a beautiful colonial house, was run-down and in very bad condition since it was abandoned after the cyclone San Zenón, in September 1930.

The Palacio Arzobispal was demolished in the 1960s. All that is left are the perimeter walls that once surrounded the property.

The memorial plaque on the old exterior wall
The memorial plaque on the old exterior wall


 

The plaque on the exterior wall reads:

“Vestigios del Antiguo Palacio Arzobispal construido en el primer tercio del siglo XVI. Fue la residencia del Jefe de la Iglesia Dominicana desde entonces hasta 1933. Sus recintos albergaron conspicuas figuras como la de los Arzobispos Dávila, Padilla, Rodríguez, Portillo, Cocchia, Meriño y Nouel. Sirvió de Albergue provisional de tropas y en sus patios se lidiaron toros. También estuvo el Colegio Dominicano de la Salle.”

English translation:
Vestiges of the Old Archbishop’s Palace built in the first third of the 16th century. It was the residence of the Head of the Dominican Church from then until 1933. Its enclosures housed conspicuous figures such as that of the Archbishops Dávila, Padilla, Rodríguez, Portillo, Cocchia, Meriño and Nouel. It served as temporary shelter for troops and bullfights were often held in its courtyards. The Dominican College of La Salle was also located here.

Edificio Fundamental del Barroco Andaluz

The original building, known as Edificio Fundamental del Barroco Andaluz, was built in the early 18th century (1700’s), by Diego Antonio Díaz. It almost completely disappeared in a fire but was later repaired. It was rebuilt and used as the Archbishop’s Palace, The Colegio Dominicano de la Salle, a bullfighting ring. It is now home to businesses, homes, a parking garage and a plaza. (*Andalusian architecture envelopes both Roman and Islamic design that dates back to 218 BC and 711 AC. The design has vaulted ceilings, pebbled courtyards, painted tiles, water features and century-old stone walls. And the Baroque style of architecture is very ornate and elaborate)

Home of Bartolomé de las Casas

Plaza Bartolomé de las Casas is part of the original property.
Plaza Bartolomé de las Casas is part of the original property.

Part of the original property was the home of Bartolomé de las Casas who was given the land as an encomienda (Spanish royal land grant). He was also given many indigenous peoples as slaves, which he later denounced. He is the symbol of justice and the fight for human rights in Latin America. More history of Bartolomé de las Casas.

The Colegio Dominicano de la Salle

A plaque on the wall of the Plaza de las Casas honoring the Colegio Dominicano de la Salle on its 75th Anniversary.
A plaque on the wall of the Plaza de las Casas honoring the Colegio Dominicano de la Salle on its 75th Anniversary.

Monsignor Adolfo Nouel had a dream of a school in the Dominican Republic. He heard of the La Salle brothers school that was located in Cuba. He went to visit them in 1908 to ask them to come and take over the school Padre Fantino de La Vega. Finally, in July 1933, some of the Brothers La Salle came and opened the Dominican College of La Salle in Santo Domingo.

They were offered the old property of the Palace Archbishopric. The property was destroyed when Cyclone San Zenón hit Dominican Republic in September 1930. It was abandoned by the Archbishop’s Palace when they moved to the new location. All that was left was a dilapidated colonial house and the land. The brothers did what they could to repair the old colonial home as they worked on a more modern building. The Colegio Dominicano de la Salle opened its doors on September 18, 1933.

Part of the old Archbishop's Palace was when it was the Colegio de La Salle
Part of the old Archbishop’s Palace was when it was the Colegio de La Salle

The refurbished mansion held classrooms, a chapel, commissary, and other necessary buildings. There were also recreation areas. As the school grew they needed more space and they added the house located on Calle Hostos to the school properties. Today the Dirección Nacional de Patrimonio Monumental is located in this house.

Today Colegio La Salle has schools in more than 80 countries. The current location of the Colegio Dominicano de la Salle is on Av. Bolivar in Gazcue, Santo Domingo

The Coat of Arms of the City of Santo Domingo / Escudo de Armas de la Ciudad de Santo Domingo in Plaza Bartolomé Las Casa
The Coat of Arms of the City of Santo Domingo / Escudo de Armas de la Ciudad de Santo Domingo in Plaza Bartolomé Las Casa

About the Escudo de Armas de la Ciudad de Santo Domingo.


 

About Juan Bautista de La Salle

The original founder of the school is French priest San Juan Bautista de La Salle. He was born into a rich French family of lawyers. He started teaching poor underprivileged youth. La Salle was ordained as a priest on April 9, 1678. La Salle renounced all his assets in 1683, and a year later founded the Congregación de Los Hermanos Cristianos / Congregation of Christian Brothers. De La Salle and the Brothers succeeded in creating a network of quality schools where they taught children for free according to their levels of education and learning abilities. La Salle was the first to organize teacher training centers, learning schools for criminals, technical schools, secondary schools for modern languages, arts and sciences. His work spread very quickly in France, and after his death, his work spread all over the world. Juan Bautista de La Salle died on April 7, 1719, just weeks before his 68th birthday. He was named the Patron Saint Patron of Christian Educators on May 15, 1950. More about San Juan Bautista de La Salle
reference – https://manueldelmonte.wordpress.com/2015/09/27/colegio-dominicano-de-la-salle/

Bull Fighting

Spanish style bullfights were often held in the courtyards of this once grand property. Many of the open plazas and homes with large courtyards in the Colonial City of Santo Domingo were locations for these games. Bull Fighting / Corridas de toros and Games of Reeds / Juego de Cañas were very popular diversions for all.

Bullfighting was very popular during the founding of Santo Domingo. From the time of Nicolás de Ovando up until the 1900s, bullfighting continued as a very popular public diversion.

In the mid-sixteenth century, bullfights and games of reeds were held in the public square or main square, located to the north of the Cathedral. There are records of bull fights being held at the Plaza del Convento de las Mercedes and Convento de Los Dominicos.

Bull Fighting / Corridas de Toros and Games of Reeds / Juego de Cañas (men mounted on horseback simulating war or combat throwing reeds that were shaped into spears or darts) were legal and could be held any time, except on Sundays and Holy Days.

Bullfights were so numerous in Santo Domingo that Archbishop Fray Domingo Fernández de Navarrete, on April 4, 1679, complained about this practice. In the Letter from Archbishop Fray Domingo Fernández de Navarrete to the King, Santo Domingo, April 4, 1679, the Archbishop wrote “The idleness of this island is the largest in the world. The bulls that are run this year go out of line, with which they promote vice and it would be enough for it to be run three or four times a year ”. The archbishop also complained that women attended these nightly events and they lasted until nine o’clock, which was much too late for women to be in the street.

Bullfighting in El Seibo, Dominican Republic 2021.
Bullfighting in El Seibo, Dominican Republic 2021. image-eltiempo.com.do

Bullfights are still held in the city of Santa Cruz de El Seibo, El Seibo province during the patron saint festivals celebrated in May. Unlike bullfights held in other parts of the world, the bulls are not hurt. There is much debate going on for and against this “cultural” practice. More about the fight against Bullfighting in Seibo https://eltiempo.com.do/abogado-pide-no-aprobar-ley-busca-declarar-corridas-de-toros-en-el-seibo-como-patrimonio-cultural/.

The animal protection laws, Ley de Protección Animal y Tenencia Responsable / Animal Protection Act and Responsible Ownership in June 2012 making animal cruelty illegal but there is still debates happening about if Bull Fighting is cruel and illegal.


 

Other Uses of the Property

The property was quite large taking up an entire city block. When it was abandoned it had many different uses throughout its existence.

*The mansion served as a temporary shelter for troops

*The old colonial mansion, the former seat of the Archbishop’s Palace, and the first seat of the Dominican College of La Salle, fell into ruins and was completely demolished. Now part of the property is a parking garage.

Entrance to the parking garage on Arzobispo Meriño, once part of the Archbishops Palace property.
Entrance to the parking garage on Arzobispo Meriño, once part of the Archbishops Palace property.

*A park, Plaza Bartolomé de las Casas was also installed on part of the property.

*The Casa de Teatro sits on part of the original property.

Location

Walking from Calle el Conde turn on Arz. Meriño at Parque Colón and head towards the Caribbean Sea. The first 4-way intersection is at Calle Padre Billini between Meriño and Hostos is the start of the original wall of the property. Calle Arz. Meriño, Padre Billini and Hostos, Cuidad Colonial, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.


 

Then & Now – Instituto Salomé Ureña

Instituto Salomé Ureña

“Instituto de Señoritas” was the first school for higher learning for ladies in the Dominican Republic.

Instituto de Señoritas Salomé Ureña de Henriquez in the 1940's.
Instituto de Señoritas Salomé Ureña de Henriquez in the 1940’s.


 

The school was the dream of Eugenio María de Hostos and Dominican poet Salomé Ureña de Henriquez (Salomé Ureña – born October 21, 1850 – died March 6, 1897 from tuberculous).

Ladies School Salomé Ureña de Henriquez August 9, 2012 after it was completely remodeled and waiting for the Presidents arrival to inaugurate the new building.
Ladies School Salomé Ureña de Henriquez August 9, 2012 after it was completely remodeled and waiting for the Presidents arrival to inaugurate the new building.


 

Ladies School Salomé Ureña de Henriquez August 9, 2012 after it was completely remodeled inauguration of the new building.
Ladies School Salomé Ureña de Henriquez August 9, 2012 after it was completely remodeled inauguration of the new building.

Opened November 3, 1881, the school was the first center of higher education for women in the Dominican Republic. After 5 years open the school boasted its first graduates, 6 female teachers, very uncommon at this time. One of the original graduates was teacher and Women’s Rights activist Luisa Ozema Pellerano.


 

Ladies School Salomé Ureña de Henriquez front entrance in 2018
Ladies School Salomé Ureña de Henriquez front entrance in 2018

The building that houses the modern school was designed by the architect Marcial Pou Ricart in 1944 in an Art-Deco style.

Instituto Salomé Ureña is located on Calle 19 de Marzo #56, Ciudad Colonial, Santo Domingo.

Plaza de la Poesía has a statue of Ureña.


 

Telecommunications Museum

Centro Cultural de las Telecomunicaciones Museo / Cultural Center of Telecommunications Museum

The Centro Cultural de las Telecomunicaciones Museo (CCT) is a state of the art telecommunications museum. The interactive museum is a learning experience that shows the evolution of communications in the Dominican Republic from prehistory to the present.

Entrance to the Centro Cultural de las Telecomunicaciones Mueso  Cultural Center of Telecommunications Museum on Calle Isabel la Católica.
Entrance to the Centro Cultural de las Telecomunicaciones Mueso Cultural Center of Telecommunications Museum on Calle Isabel la Católica.

This unique museum is an interactive and multisensory museum where you can learn and experience with all your senses. It is good for all as an educational experience. Schools as well as families can visit and learn historical, cultural, social and technological knowledge. Visitors will learn about the past, present and future of telecommunications. The museum includes historical data about the origin and evolution of radio, television, telephone, computers, and the Internet in the Dominican Republic and around the world.


 

Back of the Centro Cultural de las Telecomunicaciones Mueso  Cultural Center of Telecommunications Museum from Plaza España.
Back of the Centro Cultural de las Telecomunicaciones Mueso Cultural Center of Telecommunications Museum from Plaza España.

Built by El Instituto Dominicano de las Telecomunicaciones (INDOTEL), the Telecommuicaciones Museo opened its doors on July 18, 2011. The museum has 3 floors and a basement and four exhibition halls. There is a state-of-the-art auditorium, a media library with thousands of audiovisual documents, a temporary exhibition hall, an area for workshops, a store and cafeteria.


 

Visiting this museum one can learn the first forms of communication starting with prehistoric times continuing to the future of communications. Learn about the origin of writing, and the invention of the telegraph and the telephone (the evolution of telephones from 1920 to the present). Learn the history of Dominican radio and television and experience some of the most popular TV commercials. Marvel at the collection of robots and touch screen games, the origin and development of computers, and robotics.

Centro Cultural de las Telecomunicaciones Mueso  Cultural Center of Telecommunications Museum back entrance.
Centro Cultural de las Telecomunicaciones Mueso Cultural Center of Telecommunications Museum back entrance.

Visitors Information

Hours:
Open to the public from Tuesday to Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM. Saturday from 9 AM to 9 PM. Sundays from 10 AM to 5 PM. Some special exhibits have extended hours.

Contact:
809-633-3333 and 829-378-6251

Cost:
(2011) RD$200 for adults, RD$100 for children and US$10 for foreigners.


 

Location

Calle Isabel La Católica and Emiliano Tejera, Ciudad Colonial, Republíca Dominicana. The large building sits in front of Plaza España.