Santo Domingo

Closeup of statue of woman near Alcázar de Colón

Diego Columbus set the first stone of Catedral Primada de America in 1514. Further construction was delayed until 1520 and the oldest church in America wasn't completed until 1544. Because construction took so long and involved several architects, the structure features a gothic vault, a Renaissance facade, and Romanesque arches.

Sun rising over the waters of the Carribean at Santo Domingo

The view of El Malecón (the street) and the Caribbean Sea from my room 1406 at the Hilton

Colorful houses dot the historic streets of Santo Domingo's Zona Colonial

Historic wooden door and window in one of Santo Domingo's colonial buildings on Calle Las Damas

Built in 1510, this convent was the site of the New World's first university, Santo Tomas de Aquino.

Diego Columbus set the first stone of Catedral Primada de America in 1514. Further construction was delayed until 1520 and the oldest church in America wasn't completed until 1544. Because construction took so long and involved several architects, the structure features a gothic vault, a Renaissance facade, and Romanesque arches.

Diego Columbus set the first stone of Catedral Primada de America in 1514. Further construction was delayed until 1520 and the oldest church in America wasn't completed until 1544. Because construction took so long and involved several architects, the structure features a gothic vault, a Renaissance facade, and Romanesque arches.

Diego Columbus set the first stone of Catedral Primada de America in 1514. Further construction was delayed until 1520 and the oldest church in America wasn't completed until 1544. Because construction took so long and involved several architects, the structure features a gothic vault, a Renaissance facade, and Romanesque arches.

Diego Columbus set the first stone of Catedral Primada de America in 1514. Further construction was delayed until 1520 and the oldest church in America wasn't completed until 1544. Because construction took so long and involved several architects, the structure features a gothic vault, a Renaissance facade, and Romanesque arches.

Diego Columbus set the first stone of Catedral Primada de America in 1514. Further construction was delayed until 1520 and the oldest church in America wasn't completed until 1544. Because construction took so long and involved several architects, the structure features a gothic vault, a Renaissance facade, and Romanesque arches.

Diego Columbus set the first stone of Catedral Primada de America in 1514. Further construction was delayed until 1520 and the oldest church in America wasn't completed until 1544. Because construction took so long and involved several architects, the structure features a gothic vault, a Renaissance facade, and Romanesque arches.

In this economy even gargoyles are looking for work.

In memory of his first visit to America, January 25, 1979

Opposite the east side gate of Catedral Primada de América bearing likenesses of the Saints, this frieze of the Sinners greets passers by on Santo Domingo's Calle Arzobispo Meriño

Plateresque gate at the ruins of the Monastery of San Francisco in Santo Domingo's Zona Colonial

The Monastery of San Francisco was built starting in 1508 through the early 1500s. It was plundered by Sir Francis Drake in 1586, damaged by earthquakes in 1673 and 1751. It was used as an insane asylum from 1881 until the 1930s.

Pigeons and dogs now call the ruins of the Monastery of San Francisco home in Santo Domingo's Zona Colonial

Plateresque gate at the ruins of the Monastery of San Francisco in Santo Domingo's Zona Colonial

Ruins of the Hospital de San Nicolás de Bari

Pigeons congregate on an arch at the ruins of Hospital de San Nicolás de Bari with the spire of Iglesia de La Altagracia in the background

Alcázar de Colón was built (1510-1512) by Christopher Columbus' son Diego. At the time, the palace was the center of the Spanish kingdom in the Americas and hosted legendary Spanish explorers Cortés, Pizarro, and Ponce de León.

Arches and pillars of Alcázar de Colón (Columbus Palace) in Santo Domingo's Zona Colonial

Puerta El Conde (Gate of the Count), named for the Count of Peñalva, the Captain General who repelled the English in 1655. Also where the founders of the Republic declared independence from Haiti on 27 February 1844.

Statue of nude, well-fed balerinas.

Alcázar de Colón (Columbus Palace)

Alcázar de Colón was built (1510-1512) by Christopher Columbus' son Diego. At the time, the palace was the center of the Spanish kingdom in the Americas and hosted legendary Spanish explorers Cortés, Pizarro, and Ponce de León.