Santo Domingo: Soul of the Country

The capital of the Dominican Republic is also the heart of the country, pulsing with culture, history, nightlife and the vibrancy of the Dominican people. There's plenty of excitement to be found in this urban, tropical capital, whether you're a history buff, avid art collector, devoted foodie or an all-night party person.

Athens of the New World

If you visit the Dominican Republic and don’t leisurely stroll through Santo Domingo’s Zona Colonial (Colonial Zone), you’ll sidestep one of the most powerful cultural experiences in all of the Americas. More than five centuries of history are preserved in the approximately 100 square blocks that make up the walled city, which stands sentinel over the Ozama River. Santo Domingo is nothing less than the birthplace of the modern Caribbean. Ponce de Leon sailed to the east directly from this port city to set up shop in Puerto Rico. Diego de Velazquez ventured due west to settle Cuba. Hernan Cortes launched his attack on Moctezuma and Mexico from the Ozama. Vasco Nuñez de Balboa didn’t stop until he found himself in what we now refer to as the Pacific Ocean. And, of course, Christopher Columbus passed through more than once on his way to discovering pretty much everything from Trinidad to the Turks.

Little wonder is it then, that the United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization (UNESCO) proclaimed Santo Domingo “the cultural heritage of the New World.” Over 300 monuments still stand, preserving life and history as it was in the 1500s when Spanish gentry strode these cobblestone streets with their retinue of courtiers in tow.

A Tour Through Time

There are more than a few places to begin a tour through the Colonial Zone. After all, this is a walking city where imaginative conquistadors and cardinals went out of their way to build secret little avenues, cloisters and corridors. In other words, you’re best advised to poke your head into anywhere that looks old and interesting after you’ve covered a few signature sites.

If you’re on a self-guided tour, one of the easiest ways to start is to find the river and the two bridges that cross over it. Ask for the Gate of San Diego, one of the primary entrances into the fortified city where remnants of the massive walls still impose on visitors the severity of what lies within. When you get there, look straight up. While Columbus’ brother Bartolome might have founded Santo Domingo, it was Columbus’ son Don Diego Colón who came away with the best digs. Known as El Alcázar or Alcázar de Colón (Columbus Palace), this 22-room stone residence was home to Diego and his wife, Doña Maria de Toldedo. As the first Viceroy of the Indies, he oversaw the Spanish court of the New World from under its porticos. A unique blend of Gothic-Mudejar architecture with Spanish and Italian Renaissance treatments, his majestic home contains one of the Latin world’s most prized collections of furniture and household items from the period.

While there are numerous open plazas in the Colonial Zone, one of them particularly stands out. In front of the cathedral, the Plaza de Armas is a bustling square at night where couples hold hands and children run after each other in the open air. Leading past the plaza, Calle Las Damas (Street of the Ladies) is the oldest street in the first city of the Americas and the heart of colonial Santo Domingo. Be sure and take a seat at one of the sidewalk cafés to drink in the history and a cup of café con leche (coffee with hot milk).

From here, visitors can head off to many of the region’s most important landmarks.
The next stop is the Museo de las Casas Reales, the Museum of the Royal Houses. This historic edifice housed the administrative offices of the colony’s government for more than 300 years. Here, many of the decisions affecting military strategies and colonization from Colombia to Florida were discussed. The museum’s 16th-century exhibits and artifacts include replicas of the viceroy’s throne and a colonial courtroom.

Towards the end of Las Damas is the Fortaleza Ozama. The oldest military complex in the new colonies stands guard over the entrance to the city, the Ozama River and the Caribbean. The structure served as a fortress and prison from 1505 to 1844, and today, visitors can walk through the Torre del Homenage (Tower of Homage) where lookouts once scoured the seas for incoming brigantines, friendly and otherwise. Adjacent to the tower grounds, the Casa de Bastidas was once home to Rodrigo de Bastidas, the patriarch of one of the New World’s most influential families and mayor of Santo Domingo. His casona (manor) is an enlightening introduction to what a 16th-century colonial household looked like. It now serves as offices for various cultural institutions and a craft shop.

Tour operators offer convenient sightseeing trips, like JC Colonial Service, which provides walking city tours in six languages.

Cradle of Christ/Columbus’ Coffin

Walk back a couple blocks along Las Damas until you arrive at the pedestrian street El Conde. Two blocks to the west lies the Parque Colón (Columbus Park) and the mesmerizing Catedral de Santa María la Menor—the first cathedral constructed in the Americas. Its golden coral and limestone facade and Gothic interior highlight a beautiful example of Spanish Renaissance architecture with complementing harmonious Baroque accents. The place hasn’t always looked this good, though. When Sir Francis Drake was marauding through the Caribbean and attacked Santo Domingo in 1586, he torched the massive gates and went south with many of the treasures and stained glass windows.

The cathedral was lovingly restored in 1990, and new stained glass windows were commissioned. The new windows, created by contemporary Dominican artist Rincón Mora, are modern works of art that complement the 18th-century carved mahogany altar, the silver carillon created by Italian sculptor Benvenuto Cellini in the 1500s and a 17th-century oil painting by Spanish artist Bartolomé Murillo.

There are, of course, myriad other historic museums, churches, parks, monuments and theaters to explore in the Colonial Zone, and one could spend a week walking the old streets and not see all of its riches. But before you venture farther, look across the river at that large angular building on the horizon.

The monument to Christopher Columbus and his remains lies across the Ozama River at the Faro a Colón (Columbus’ Lighthouse). This place is something else. The idea to honor the venerable conquistador with a massive lighthouse has been circling around since 1914, when American William Pulliam dreamed up the idea and British architect J.L Greave penned some original plans. But with the 500-year anniversary of Columbus’ arrival looming in 1992, interest was renewed and construction was completed October 6th of that year. The day was marked within the celebration of the Fifth Centennial of the Discovery and Evangelization of America. Five days later, His Holiness Pope John Paul II held Mass and sanctified the grounds. The remains of Columbus were brought over from the Cathedral of Santa Maria where they will remain for eternity in the city Columbus himself requested as his resting place.

The massive, 758-foot-long concrete edifice built in the shape of a cross is simply overwhelming in its grandeur and scope. In the center of the cross, the Gothic-style Mausoleum is guarded from touch, and it’s frowned upon to sit down within eyesight of the tomb. Within the rest of the lighthouse, various museums house artifacts from 48 countries around the world, exemplifying the great admiral’s profound influence in bridging distinctly different cultures on both sides of the Atlantic.

The Country's Party Capital

Nightlife is a huge part of the Santo Domingo experience, thanks to nightclubs where locals and tourists mingle, dance and drink into the wee hours. The locals have turned partying into an art form, so even if you're not a dancer yourself, it's worth a venture inside a discoteca.

Another favorite late-night pursuit is gambling at the glittery casinos around town, which run the gamut from showy Vegas-style venues to tasteful, low-key facilities.

If you're visiting during one of the town's festivals, you'll see the city at the top of its game. During Carnaval, held in February or March, revelers dressed in skimpy, shiny and feathery costumes and elaborate masks crowd the streets. There's more music at the Merengue Festival, a dance-focused celebration of the national musical style that's held in the summer along El Malecón.

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