This day long excursion took me to the capitol of the Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo. It is the center of politics and business for the country, and also is the largest city in the Caribbean.
The first place we visited was the Presidential Palace, which was contructed by the Dominican dictator Trujillo in 1944. We weren't allowed to enter because according to our guide an Italian ran for the gate of the palace and tried to enter! The president (currently Danilo Medina) doesn't live in the palace, but prefers an apartment nearby. However, this is still the place where he and other high ranking officials work.
The first place we visited was the Presidential Palace, which was contructed by the Dominican dictator Trujillo in 1944. We weren't allowed to enter because according to our guide an Italian ran for the gate of the palace and tried to enter! The president (currently Danilo Medina) doesn't live in the palace, but prefers an apartment nearby. However, this is still the place where he and other high ranking officials work.
After this, we headed to the historic district. Upon first arriving, all of the one way cobble stone streets and one-story high buildings made me think I was back in Antigua, Guatemala.
After walking a few blocks we came upon the Catedral Primada de America, which was the first cathedral built in the Americas, being constructed in 1535. The building definately showed its age from the outside, having survived five centuries of wars, earthquakes, and hurricanes. There were some well kept gardens to the side, and there were hundreds of pigeons lining its exterior.
We walked along Calle las Damas (Street of the Ladies) which was the first paved street in Santo Domingo, dating back to 1511. Important women, including the nieces and grandchildren of Spanish kings, lived here in the colonies early days and therefore it was named after them.
The next stop was the Fortaleza Ozama, which was constructed from 1504-1508. The function of this fort was to ward off pirates and French and English conquistadors. We weren't allowed to walk inside due to an effort to protect the crumbling structure. Still, it was neat to see something so old and important to protecting the oldest western city in the Americas.
There were a lot of tours in the colonial zone, but our tour guide only spoke to all of us in Spanish. We had the advantage to know extra tidbits of information because the guide spoke to us in his native language though! For example, Fortaleza Ozama, for defense, had to be the highest point in the city. Because of this, the bells at Catedral Primada were put off to the side, instead of on top of the church where they would obstruct the view of the city.
We walked along Calle las Damas (Street of the Ladies) which was the first paved street in Santo Domingo, dating back to 1511. Important women, including the nieces and grandchildren of Spanish kings, lived here in the colonies early days and therefore it was named after them.
The next stop was the Fortaleza Ozama, which was constructed from 1504-1508. The function of this fort was to ward off pirates and French and English conquistadors. We weren't allowed to walk inside due to an effort to protect the crumbling structure. Still, it was neat to see something so old and important to protecting the oldest western city in the Americas.
There were a lot of tours in the colonial zone, but our tour guide only spoke to all of us in Spanish. We had the advantage to know extra tidbits of information because the guide spoke to us in his native language though! For example, Fortaleza Ozama, for defense, had to be the highest point in the city. Because of this, the bells at Catedral Primada were put off to the side, instead of on top of the church where they would obstruct the view of the city.
As we walked to our next destination, our guide pointed out a sewer cover to us. This seemed strange, but the guide explained that Trujillo was a narcissistic dictator, and named things after himself. One of these things he renamed was Santo Domingo to Ciudad Trujillo (Trujillo City), and this sewer still had the mark from when the city was named so.
The next stop was the Panteón Nacional. This mausoleum was where many of the countries founding fathers remains are. There is also a flame that burns 24/7, not unlike the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the US. We visited right around noon, so we had the privelage of seeing the guard change while the Dominican National anthem played in the background.This building wazs built in the mid 1700s by the Jesuits as a church. However, after the Jesuits were expelled from the country in 1767 it was vacant and then repurposed to its function today by Trujillo.
Since Trujillo was friends with other dictators, our guide said it was rumored that the grates on the windows had swastikas in them becuase Hitler offered them to Trujillo as a gift.
Since Trujillo was friends with other dictators, our guide said it was rumored that the grates on the windows had swastikas in them becuase Hitler offered them to Trujillo as a gift.
After the ghange in guard, we walked down the street some more, passing the French Embassy. Historically, after Haiti was declared independent from France, the French wanted to keep an eye on the country and buddied up with the Dominican Republic.
We ended our colonial tour at the Alcázar de Colón, which was the home of Diego Colon, who was Christopher Columbus's son.The house itself was large, but only about a third of it was the original structure stands today. It is a museum now, and has many older artifacts and recreations from that time. Perhaps the most surprising thing to me was the shaving kit, because it was a bowl with an indentation in it. The women were expected to shave their husbands, while the husband sat there with the bowl held up to his chin!
There is an important painting that Diego Columbus ordered that shows him and his father. This painting supposedly has one of the more accurate depictions of Columbus, because as famous as he is there aren't really any paintings of him from his time period. Most of what we see in paintings today was done 100 or more years after Columbus's death.
We ended our colonial tour at the Alcázar de Colón, which was the home of Diego Colon, who was Christopher Columbus's son.The house itself was large, but only about a third of it was the original structure stands today. It is a museum now, and has many older artifacts and recreations from that time. Perhaps the most surprising thing to me was the shaving kit, because it was a bowl with an indentation in it. The women were expected to shave their husbands, while the husband sat there with the bowl held up to his chin!
There is an important painting that Diego Columbus ordered that shows him and his father. This painting supposedly has one of the more accurate depictions of Columbus, because as famous as he is there aren't really any paintings of him from his time period. Most of what we see in paintings today was done 100 or more years after Columbus's death.
After seeing the historical side of the city, we went to a nearby beach called Boca Chica, which was a beautiful beach on the Caribbean Sea side of the island. There seemed to be a lot of locals in addition to the tourists, so we got to talk with a few who all agreed this was the best beach close to Santo Domingo. The beach wasn't crowded though, because here it is still winter and for most Dominicans the water is too cold (although from Ohio I think it feels wonderful!).
After a few hours the group packed up and we headed back to Santiago. Santo Domingo is a huge city and we only saw a tiny part of it. There is a ton of history behind every building, with a mix of modern and colonial architecture. I want to return soon!
After a few hours the group packed up and we headed back to Santiago. Santo Domingo is a huge city and we only saw a tiny part of it. There is a ton of history behind every building, with a mix of modern and colonial architecture. I want to return soon!