Santo Domingo: An incredible and Beautiful Place

I love to visit the Dominican Republic. The place is beautiful and its people awesome and extremely friend. A perfect recipe for an awesome time. Is is truly my second home.

After I was done with the wedding at Dreams La Romana Resort & Spa, I went back to Santo Domingo, the DR capital, to visit friends. One thing that I love about the place is the food. No matter where you go, the food is incredibly good. There is a place at El Malecon (waterfront) that make the most juicy and delicious Angus churrascos (Skirt Steaks). It is called “La Parillada”.

I am also a history buff and I got to walk around in the Colonial city, which is the oldest of the New World and the best preserved. In 1990 it was declared a World Heritage site by the UNESCO. Every “conquistador” that came to the New World, Hernan Cortes, Juan Ponce de León, Pizarro, they all had to stop at Santo Domingo to ask permission from Diego Colón to be able to go on in their venture.

El Alcazar de Colón or  Columbus Alcazar, first castle in the New World, 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 ofChristopher Columbus; when he became governor 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 Domingowaned, the house fell into ruins, and by the mid eighteenth century was abandoned and in danger of rotting away. Fortunately, it was rescued and extensively restored between 1955 and 1957.

Click below to see more images of Santo Domino and to read on…

The “Colonial Zone” successfully blends the old and the new in a way like no other place can. They have a wide variety of restaurants offering many culinary styles that are sure to please any palate. There is a wide variety of nightlife, clubs with many different music styles for young and old alike. If you want to relax, sit in one of our many parks and people watch while enjoying the soft Caribbean breeze.

Diego Columbus set the first stone and since then many additions and changes have been made to the original structure. Spanish workmen began building the cathedral but left to search for gold in Mexico. This second church was much better, it was made of wood and the roof was palm branches. If there was rain there was no service. At the end of 1537 the roof was rebuilt the way we see it today. The front is dated 1540 and was completed in 1544. In 1547 the construction of the tower was stopped because it brought attention to the Fortress. The church was worked on and designed by so many different people. This is why so many architectural styles can be seen in one building. There are Roman style arches and Gothic style vaults with some Baroque ornaments thrown in for good measure. All this only adds to the buildings originality and powerfully dominating look. It is built with the coralline blocks, as with many of the Colonial era structures, this building has been able to withstand the ravishings of time and humans. The building has been used as a slaughterhouse and a prison. It was a wine and provision storage facility used by the pirates when it was ransacked in 1586 by Sir Francis Drake.

In the image above, you can see part of Calles de las Damas, the oldest street in the New World dating its origins back to 1502. You can also see the Panteón Nacional

a Rococo style building constructed between 1714 and 1745. It was originally the Convento de San Igancio de Loyola for the Jesuits. Later in its history it became a tobacco warehouse, a theater, a government office building, among others.

This building with beautiful vaulted central roof with magnificent murals covering its ceiling was designed to be the Panteón as ordered by Trujillo in the early 1950′s. Remodeled to house the remains of some of the Dominican Republics heroes.

The facade of the building has the Dominican Coat of Arms beautifully sculpted. The copper chandelier in the center of the building, donated by Francisco Franco (a Spanish head of state), is quite elegant. Along with the large dome there also are smaller domes on either side dividing the inside into what seems like small chapels.