Zona Colonial or Ciudad Colonial (Spanish for "Colonial City" or Colonial Zone) is the
historic central neighborhood of Santo Domingo and the oldest
permanent European settlement of the New World. It has been declared
a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It is colloquially known as
"Zona Colonial" (Colonial Zone). The Ciudad Colonial is located on
the west bank of the Ozama River, which bisects the city. It
covers less than 5 square kilometers.
HISTORY.
The first settlement of what is now Santo
Domingo was established by Bartholomew Columbus on the East bank of
the Ozama River. After the 1502 hurricane that claimed Francisco de
Bobadilla among its victims, however, the city was relocated on the West
bank under the leadership of Nicolas de Ovando. Ovando and his
successor Diego Colon presided over the first constructions of the
Colonial City, many of which still exist today.
The Ciudad Colonial is now the main
tourist attraction of Santo Domingo, even though the main sites of governmental
and commercial activity are now in other parts of the city. The central public
space of the district is Parque Colon (Columbus Park), a square that
borders the 16th-century Cathedral and has a late-19th-century bronze statue
of Columbus in its center. East of Parque Colón,
the cobblestone Calle Las Damas is the New World's oldest paved
street, dating from 1502.
The street is bordered by many of the
zone's more prominent landmarks, including Fortaleza Ozama, the site of
major events in Dominican history; Casa de Bastidas, which now houses a
children's museum; the French Embassy, in a building said to have been the
house of Hernán Cortés; the Casa de Ovando, said to be the former
residence of Governor Nicolás de Ovando and now a luxury hotel;
the National Pantheon of the Dominican Republic; and the Museo de las
Casas Reales, in the former governors' palace and Audiencia building.
Basilica Cathedral of Santa María la Menor or Primate Cathedral of The
Americas.
The Cathedral of Santa María la Menor is ubicated in the Colonial Zone of Santo
Domingo and is dedicated to
St. Mary of the Incarnation. It is the oldest cathedral in the Americas, begun in 1512 and
completed in 1540. It is
the Cathedral of the Archbishop of Santo Domingo who has the honorary
title of Primate of the the Americas because Santo Domingo was the first
Catholic diocese established in the New world.
The
Cathedral was commissioned by Pope Julius II in 1504 and its construction began in 1512 under
the leadership of Bishop Fray García Padilla. The arrival of Bishop Alexander
Geraldini in 1519 motivated the construction of a temple of greater solemnity,
so it was decided to build the current church, whose foundation stone was laid
in 1521. The construction was carried out by Luis Moya, according to plans
designed by Alonso Rodriguez, of Seville, Spain. By 1523, the construction achieved continuous
progress until his its consecration in 1541. On February 12, 1546, at the
request of Emperor Charles V, Pope Paul III granted the
status of Metropolitan Cathedral and Primate of the the Americas.
The english raider Francis
Drake when he captured the city in 1586, used the
cathedral as his headquarters and saved it from destruction. It was also the
headquarters of the Archdiocese of Santo
Domingo, which bore the aforementioned title of Primate. In 1920, Pope Benedict
XV designated the Cathedral a Minor
Basilica in his Inter
Americae.
The
architecture is characterized by solid walls and three doors, two of gothic
them in contrast to the third and main Plateresque. The cathedral contains a
vast art treasures made with altarpieces, paintings (including a table of the
Virgin of Altagracia dates from 1523), old woodwork, furniture, monuments and
tombstones, among other objects. The tombs of archbishops of the colonial
period are highlighted, it is also mentioned the tombstone of Simon Bolivar,
one of the predecessors of the Liberator. In the cathedral for a time housed
the remains of Christopher Columbus which moved to Columbus Lighthouse. The
archbishop's throne valuable Plateresque is dated 1540 The Cathedral is built
of limestone, while some walls are masonry and bricks, and has twelve side
chapels, free three ships and a main nave. The cover is nave gable. Those of
the aisles is constituted by vaults that accuse the outside, as if it were
hemispherical domes. The longer the basilica is 54 m in the central nave to the
bottom of the presbytery. The width of the three ships is 23 m. The greater
height from floor to vault reaches 16 meters, and the building area exceeds
3,000 square meters. Fourteen side chapels were built along the history of the
cathedral. The area around the cathedral is formulated into three separate
spaces, north Plaza de Armas, the crenellated atrium is like an anteroom that
marks the main entrance to the religious complex. South cloister called the
Plaza of the Priests. Annexes around the courtyard allow passage called Alley
Cures.
Columbus Alcazar
The Columbus Alcazar or Viceregal Palace
of Don Diego Colón is a palace located in the Colonial City of Santo Domingo,
Dominican Republic, which was built on a nearby site to the cliffs that
overlook the Ozama River, granted to Diego Columbus, son firstborn of the
discoverer of America, Christopher Columbus, by King Ferdinand the Catholic,
for him to build a house for him and his descendants on the Hispaniola’s island
, which came in 1509 as governor and where now the Palace Museum Columbus.
Columbus
Alcazar, is the oldest Viceregal residence
in America, and forms part of the Colonial Zone of Santo Domingo World Heritage Site. The building houses the Museo Alcázar
de Diego Colón, whose collection exhibits the Caribbean's most important
ensemble of European late medieval and Renaissance works of art, which were acquired
in the 1950s. The Tapestry collection
(spanning from the 15th to 17th centuries) is particularly important and unique
in the Caribbean, and includes pieces produced by the Flemish Van Den Hecke family
from cartouches created
by Charles Le Brun.[1] The
Alcázar is the most visited museum in Santo Domingo.
The palace is an impressive construction
of coralline blocks that once housed some fifty
rooms and a number of gardens and courtyards, although what remains today is
about half the size it once was. It was built under Diego Colón, the son of Christopher Columbus; when he became Viceroy of La Española and the Indies in 1509, he ordered
the construction of a family home and governor’s mansion between 1510 and 1512.
During the early Spanish colonial period, the mansion occupied a very important place in
history. It was from here that many expeditions of conquest and exploration
were planned. In 1586, the palace was sacked by Sir Francis Drake and his forces. As the influence
of Santo Domingo waned, the house fell into ruins, and by the mid-18th century
was abandoned and in danger of rotting away. It was rescued and extensively
restored between 1955 and 1957, being filled with period furniture, artwork,
and other accessories. A self-guided tour using a portable audio speaker that
discusses each room's function is available in various languages.
Sans Souci Terminal at Santo Domingo Harbor
The Port of Santo Domingo is located on
the banks of the Ozama River. Its location in the center of the Caribbean is
perfect for plannings flexible itineraries, like various accommodations and
transfers easy, due to the excellent road and airport infrastructure in the
region of Santo Domingo. The port is ready for operations mother and transit
port.
According
to the Dominican Port Authority, the Port of Santo Domingo is the oldest of the
National Port System. It is located on the south central coast, at the mouth of
the Ozama River. It is located just steps from the attractive and historic
Colonial City, a World Heritage Site. Tourism has two terminals designed for
the reception of cruise: Don Diego and Sans Souci. The Port of Santo Domingo is
bordered by a large shopping area that offers visitors space craft shops,
restaurants and bars that make the stay of visitors a unique experience. The
port has been completely renovated as part of an urban renewal project aimed at
integrating the port area with the Colonial City, to create an attractive
destination for cruise ships, yachts and tourism in general. The Sansouci
Terminal is the terminal for cruise ships in the Port of Santo Domingo
Caribbean art. It is located on the east side of the city of Santo Domingo and
the arrival of cruise allows high capacity, low operating as terminal mode
Puerto Madre (Homeport), allowing passenger changes, migration and baggage
handling. It offers all the facilities to care for a large flow of passengers
efficiently and safely. The SANS SOUCI Terminal has a handling capacity of
about 3,800 passengers simultaneously; taking as an essential part of their
design, flexible spaces, lighting and architectural connection with the
Colonial City of Santo Domingo.
Monastery or Ruin of
San Francisco
The Monastery of San Francisco
in Santo Domingo de Guzmán, Dominican Republic, is a monastery that
was built around 1508, with the arrival of the Franciscan fathers. The
ruin is one of most important of the city. It is located in the Zona Colonial of
Santo Domingo and has been declared a "heritage Dominican". In 1502
the command of Nicolas de Ovando arrived Franciscans, but the construction of
the monastery began in 1508 and was the first monastery of the New World,
Construction began on the main part of the church in 1544 and was completed on
July 23, 1556. In 1586 it was sacked by Francis Drake. Repairs were
completed in 1664, but according to historians the building was damaged by
earthquakes in 1673 and 1751. According to historians, Alonso de Ojeda was
buried at the main entrance to the monastery. His remains were moved to the
former Convento Dominico on October 12, 1942. Also found were the remains of Bartholomew Columbus.
Ozama Fortress
The Fortaleza
Ozama (in Spanish; Ozama Fortress in English) is a
sixteenth-century castle built
by the Spanish at the entrance to Santo Domingo,Dominican
Republic, and overlooking the Ozama River. Named after this river, the castle, also referred to as "La
Fortaleza" or "The Fortress", is the oldest formal military
construction of European origin in America.
An impressive architectural structure of
medieval style and design, the Tower of Homage (Spanish: Torre del Homenaje)
stands in the center of the grounds. The castle was designed to guard the
entrance to the port of Santo Domingo and defend the city from seaborne
enemies. Construction began in 1502 and it was completed in 1505. The
entrance gate on Calle Damas was originally built in 1608, known as the
Prevention Gate. The
castle was well-built enough to serve as a prison until the 1960s. When
the prison was closed, the "Fortaleza" was opened to the public. It
is located at the end of Las Damas Street.
Museo de las Casas
Reales
As it was known during colonial times, it
had to host two palaces, which date from the sixteenth century. This palace was
built by order of the Spanish Crown, under the reign of Ferdinand II of Aragon,
on October 5, 1511, which was built to house the main government offices at the
time. It was called like Building of the Royal Houses, as it was the Royal
Court, which was the first court of the New World. In the past, it was used as
headquarters of the Dominican government until the National Palace was built in
1947.
Night’s
activities and famous restaurants to visit at Colonial Zone of Santo Domingo.
Night’s
activities: In the evening activities you can enjoy in the Colonial Zone are
concerts open to the public at Plaza of Spain; or enjoy a theatrical
presentation at Casa de Teatro; you can sit you to get some fresh air at Colon
Park, watching the Primate Cathedral of America, or placed against the Puerto
Ozama and observe the movement of ships by touching the port. Also, walk up the Calle del
Conde, a very old pedestrian shop-lined street that used to be the
commercial heart of the city. This street leads to the Puerta de la
Independencia, where the Dominican Republic proclaimed its independence
from Haiti, and theParque Independencia, where the country's founding
fathers' remains are kept. On Sunday evenings, check out the Ruinas de
San Francisco for live bands playing Merengue, Bachata, Salsa and Son,
in a wonderful weekly show where both locals and tourists dance, drink and
enjoy themselves. This would be an unforgettable experience! Also check
out La Atarazana street after dark for a variety of romantic
outdoor cafes with a spectacular view of the Alcazar and bay area. One such
brasserie, Pat E Palo, has operated uninterrupted since 1505. Check out the
house where Ponce DeLeon lived before he embarked upon his quest for the
fountain of youth and ended up discovering Florida.
Famous restaurants to visit at Colonial
Zone of Santo Domingo.
Pat'e Palo European Brasserie: Where
it is located gives a plus to this restaurant, located in the heart of Colonial
Zone in front of the Alcazar de Colon and close to other restaurants. Impress
your meats, seafood and Creme brulee is worth trying. For drinks and tapas with
friends in the evenings of the weekend, for a romantic dinner for two it is
ideal. Their menu is varied. good atmosphere, service and cleanliness.
Hostal Nicolas de Ovando: Hotel in charming
colonial building in downtown Santo Domingo.Tiene near all the sights of the
city. Spacious rooms with a comfortable like bathing bed; separate tub and
shower. It includes rooms overlooking the Ozama port. The pool is an added
bonus.
Hotel
Conde de Peñalba: Here you can get a double room with balcony, minibar, safe, air
conditioning and breakfast. The fourth fully satisfied: spacious, with
beautiful views of El Conde Street and the main plaza, called Parque Colon. The
hotel is old but well maintained, attention is good and very good breakfast.
Also, Regular foods, good
beers, relaxed conversation and take several cold environment. bohemian
atmosphere with good the best view of the street the count. affordable and good
attention.
Restaurante Atarazana: In
Atarazana we have a fine menu that brings together national and international
dishes and drinks at a good price. They are specialists in handling social
activities. Moreover, the colonial decor seeks to create a welcoming atmosphere
where beauty and elegance of colonial style prevails.
[1] http://rsta.pucmm.edu.do/ciudad/alcazar/website/esp/tapicesdelalcazar.htm
