Tour the History of Santo Domingo.


The  Dominican Republic  is  a  recognized   tourist  destination,  with  magnificent  beaches and resorts, vast extensions of white  sand  and  clear, sparkling  waters.  It also has  the claim  as  the  oldest  city  in  the  New  World, with  its  quaint  cobble streets  and  stonework   houses.

This  beautiful  island  is  steeped  in  history  and  culture  worthwhile  exploring:  abundant historical  sites,  museums,  colonial  architecture,  the   first  hospital,  first  sugar  mill,  first Catholic  church  this  side  of  the  world.  Visitors  will  soon  discover  that the Dominican Republic  offers  much  more  than  the  typical  Caribbean  attractions  of  sun,  sand and sea.

Santo  Domingo,  the  capital  city,  boasts  the  Alcazar de Colon  (Columbus' Palace):   the 22-room palace home of Don Diego Columbus and his family. Built in 1510 and restored in 1955,  its  structure  combines a Gothic-Moorish style with Spanish and Italian Renaissance features.

The Alcazar Museum, adjacent to Columbus' Palace, houses religious and colonial art objects that date back to this era.

The  Cathedral of Santa María  was  built in phases between 1510 and 1540, although the bell tower was never finished. Pope Paul III pronounced it the first cathedral in the New World in 1542. The style comprises late Gothic and Renaissance elements.

La Torre del Homenaje (The Tower of Homage),  the oldest military construction in the New World, built in 1503, served as a prison until the 20th century.

Las Las Ruinas del Monasterio de San Francisco (The San Francisco Monastery Ruins), built around 1556, and is the oldest monastery in the New World.

The  four  churches  that  follow  are  among  the  quaint  group of churches dating back to this colonial period.


- Iglesia   del  Convento  Dominico  (A Church of the Dominican Order),  shaped  like a Latin cross,  has  unique, outstanding altars, dedicated to the "Miraculous Virgin," and the "Most Holy One."The  latter  features  four  apostles sculptured  in patina - coated  stone.
-  The  gothic-style  Chapel  de  La Altagracia and the Chapel of Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro,the latter with four Ionic columns, joined by an architrave,dominated by a model of the morning star that announced Christ's birth.
-  Santa  Barbara  is  a  restored  colonial  church  and  fort,  featuring  late  Gothic  elements harmoniously combined with Baroque detail.

- Iglesia  de  los Padres  Jesuitas y  Panteon Nacional (A Church run by the Jesuit Fathers and National Pantheon) was built in 1743 as a Jesuit church, but then restored and converted into the  National  Pantheon  in 1958. It has then become  the resting grounds for leading national heroes.  The central nave forms a cross with the lateral chapels, and a bronze lamp, donated by the Spanish government, hangs in the intersection.

Casa de Cordon (The Cord House), the first Spanish-style home built in the Americas, d was erected  by  conquistador  Francisco de Garay. Surrounding the building was a beautiful gate trimmed  with  a  cord  resembling  those  used  used by San Franciscan monks. Today it is a cultural center sponsored by Banco Popular.

Santo  Domingo  boasts  10  museums,   with  exhibits  ranging  from  semiprecious  gems  to prehistoric art from Spain and Portugal.

The  Numismatic  and  Philatelic  Museum  is  said  to  possess  the  most comprehensive and valuable  collection  of  antique coins, bills and stamps in the Caribbean dating back to 1865.

The  Museum  of  the  Dominican  Man  traces  the  origen  of  Dominican  people  back to the original Taino Indians and artifacts, including the Spanish conquistadores and African slaves.

The  Columbus'  Lighthouse,   a  towering  structure  in  the  form  of  a  cross,  constructed  to conmemorate   the  500th  anniversary  of  the  discovery  of  America  in  1492.   It houses the explorer's  remains,  museums  and  exhibits  donated  by  several countries. The edifice's 151 light beams can be seen 40 miles away.

Other  museums  include  the National Museum of Natural History,  Museum of the Dominican Family,  National Museum of History and Geography, Museum of Modern Art and Museum of the Royal Dockyards.

Theater  enthusiasts  can  visit   the  National  Theater,  which  holds  up  to 1,700 people and features theatrical,  musical  and dance performances.  The Theater of Fine Arts hosts cultural events and exhibits.  Casa de Teatro is a  nonprofit institution  where people can express their knowledge and ideas about culture, art, theater and concerts in an open forum.

The  Amber  Museum  of  Puerto Plata,  set  in  a Victorian mansion, features a large array of prehistoric  amber-encased specimens. The Museum of Taino Art, providing insights into the people who first inhabited the Dominican Republi

Arts

While  visiting the art galleries, you can appreciate and discover authentic native art which is not  the  pseudo - primitive  art  that  abounds  in  other  Caribbean  islands  but  more  akin to Dominican’s innermost nature. The exportation of works of art is not prohibited.


Crafts

In both rural and urban areas, our people’s collective artistic expression is usually manifested in  the  production  of  crafts.   A variety  of native crafts can be found scattered throughout the city’s business areas and shopping centers.

Places  of  special  interest  are:     Mercado  Modelo,  Plaza Criolla,  El  Conde  Street,  Las Atarazanas,  and  Casa  de Bastidas,  where  a  wide choice of crafts made by local artists are sold: horn, wood, leather, snail, shell, amber and larimar articles; pottery, ceramics, basketry, embroidery  and  locally  manufactured  botton  fabrics. But, don’t leave the country without a typical  mahogany  and  guano  ( dried leaf from a palm tree variety )  rocking  chair,  already packed for easy shipping.


National Theater

If  your stay  in  Santo Domingo coincides with the theater season, try to attend a performance. The  Teatro  Nacional  is  a  modern  building  constructed  in the heart of Plaza de la Cultura.

The  main  auditorium  has  capacity  for  1700  persons  accommodated  in comfortable seats designed  with an imperceptible difference in size and placed in such a way that the spectator may  view  the  stage from any position. Its modern modulated acoustics system is capable of faithfully transmitting to the entire auditorium a whisper uttered on stage.

Enjoy  Dominican  and  International  spectacles  in  this fascinating theater and be part of the Dominican  and  International  art transmitted through these modern and comfortable facilities.

Music

Dominicans  have  a  great liking for dance. A French observer, Father Labat, who arrived in 1795  when  Spain  ceded  the  island  to  France  by  the  Treaty  of Basle, commented in this respect: “Dance is in Santo Domingo, the favorite passion, and I don’t believe that there is a anywhere in the world a people more attracted to dance”.

Here, to this day, it is customary to rock and sing lullabies to children before they fall asleep. The  child  grows  up amidst singing games, and the practice of singing before starting school work  continues. The adolescent peasant sings tunes, plenas, and cantos de hacha (axe songs) in the conuco (plot of land for cultivation). He sings while praying and when he falls in love; hence  the  custom  of  singing  serenades  to profess his love to his beloved. And when in the countryside a child dies, they sing the baquiní.

Of all  the rhythms that enrich our folklore, the merengue is the people’s expression; and, as a popular  expression, it varies from generation to generation in the same measure our lifestyle changes.

We are happy people that  vibrate to the rhythm of its vernacular music; and that, as the ditty from  a  carnival  song  says: “ ---…dance in the street by day,  dance in the street by night”. Everyone  who hears  a merengue  vibrates with us to the contagious rhythm of the güira, the tambora (small drum),and the accordion.

The güira  is  a  typical  Dominican instrument that consists of a grater made of latten brass in the  shape  of  a  hollow  cylinder  that  when rubbed with a scraper, emits a buzzing rhythmic sound.  Our Indian population used it in the areíto,  (Indian ceremonial song and dance). They made  it  from  the  attractive  fruit  of  the gourd, from which they extracted the pulb and then scraped  it to later rhythmically rasp it with a forked stick. There are still pericos ripiaos that use this type of güira.

The perico ripiao, minimal music expression, is composed of a three man group that interprets vernacular music.  The Dominican tambora owes its peculiar sound to having on one side, the skin  of  an  old  male  goat,  tempered  with  native  rum,  and on the other, the skin of a young female goat that has not given birth.