Santo Domingo: The First City in the New World (The History)

The Dominican Republic shares the Island of Hispaniola with the country of Haiti to the West.

Santo Domingo, capital city of the Dominican Republic, is the oldest continually inhabited European settlement in the Americas, having been founded in1498 by Bartholomew Columbus, brother of Christopher. The picture of the bust to the left is of Bartholomew and is located at the beginning of the wide, pedestrian only, street of El Conde. The city has a long and fascinating history, having been victimized by pirates, overrun by slaves, re-named by a dictator and more. It is a city where history comes to life! It is a city of 'firsts".

The Catedral Basilica Menor de Santa Maria: First cathedral in the New World. Diego, Christopher Columbus' son, set the first stone in the church in 1514.
Below is a view from the side entrance of the roof of the church. I must have been sitting in the Plaza for an hour, when I looked up and saw this cannonball up there. It looked stuck in the roof at first, but as you can see, it's just sitting on TOP of the roof and propped up by a few bricks. I quickly tried to assess where it might fall if it rolled off and thought moving to a different park bench a good idea. I was told later it was a shot fired from the boat of the notorious pirate Sir Frances Drake in 1586.

The Pantheon on Calle Las Damas is guarded day and night by the military. It houses the remains of the first teacher, the author of the first national anthem, the first bishop, the first mayor, and the first governor of the New World. The guards stand unmoving and motionless for two hours and then are relieved by another guard. Honestly, I thought this guy was a statue when I first entered the building.

First Fortress in the New World

First hospital in the New World

First University in the New World

First paved street in the new world: Calle Las Damas (Street of the Ladies). It was named in 1509 because of the number of women who would accompany Maria de Toledo, niece of the Spanish King Ferdinand and the wife of Diego Columbus, as she walked up it to church every Sunday morning from her home (picture below) known as the Alcazar de Colon or Castle of Columbus. The ladies close proximity to Maria reflected their standing in the social hierarchy. Diego built the castle right on the Ozama river and made the large, spacious, plaza in front so that all goods brought up the river to Santo Domingo could be displayed and viewed from the second story of his home.

You could spend weeks in Santo Domingo and still not have enough time to see everything in all the museums, historical buildings, and plazas. This is the place where the European invasion began. Cortez planned his invasion of Mexico from here. Sir Francis Drake, forcibly made the city his home for a few months and after looting and pillaging (he even stole the church bell some say), he was off in search of riches elsewhere, leaving the city in a smoldering ruin. The country endured the dictator and ruthless tyrant Rafael Trujillo for 31 years before he was assassinated in 1961. Civil wars and fights for independence from France, Spain, and Haiti, have all contributed to the rich history of this city and the country. It's not just a city of "firsts"....it's the oldest European city in the NEW WORLD! That's a lot of history!