Colonial Zone, Santo Domingo Zona Colonial

The Museum of the Royal Houses in Santo Domingo is an enormous brick and coral building with high ceilings and wide staircases sweeping up to a grand salon hung with portraits of the Spanish kings. It originally consisted of two buildings, the Palace of the Captain-General and Palace of the Royal Audiencia (similar to a Supreme Court), which were both built in the beginning of the 16th C and joined by a single facade in the late 18th C.Once the colonial administrative center for all the Spanish West Indies, Casa Reales is now a museum featuring Colonial era artifacts, including a re-creation of the governor's receiving room, maps, weapons and military uniforms.

Once the center of colonial power this Gothic-Moorish 22-room palace was built for Diego Columbus in 1510.Its architecture also combines influences from the Spanish and Italian Renaissance.The structure includes 72 windows and is built of indigenous coral and rock.No nails were used in its construction.Alcazar De Colón is open to the public and houses many fine treasures of the colonial era.Adjacent is the Alcazar Museum, housing religious and colonial art objects.

Casa del Tostado is a lovely two-story colonial home built by Francisco de Tostado de la Peña, a poet and professor. He was killed at the hands of Sir Francis Drake's troops in 1586.Known as one of the most beautiful houses in the Zona Colonial, this Gothic/Moorish building now houses the Museum of the Dominican Family of the 19th C including an exhibition of furniture from different eras.

The cross-shaped Convent of the Dominicans contains outstanding altars. The building dates from 1510 and in 1538 the first university in the New World, dedicated to St. Thomas Aquino, was founded there; though the building no longer survives.The convent was the home of Father Antonio de Montesinos, the first person in the New World to speak out against the Spaniards' abuse of country's indigenous people.

Extending for a full city block, the Museo de las Atarazanas initially served as a customs depot, an arsenal and later as a warehouse. Constructed in the first half of the 16th C, it now houses the Museum of Marine Archaeology, with items recovered from several hundred years of shipwrecks, plus shops, art galleries, pubs, and restaurants.

The Amber World Museum in Santo Domingo uses a wide variety of display methods and interactive technology to convey historical and scientific information about amber, the island's official gem. Included are examples of amber in its natural state and set in jewelry.

Calle Las Damas is the oldest street in the New World where some of the most beautiful colonial buildings in Santo Domingo stand. This street is named after the ladies-in-waiting of the Viceroy's wife who took their afternoon stroll down this street.

Guarding the entrance to Santo Domingo and overlooking the Ozama River is Fortaleza Ozama, the oldest military construction in the New World.Construction began on the fort in 1502. It was well-built enough to serve as a prison until the 1960s when it was restored and opened to the public.

The area around the cruise ship terminal on Avenida del Puerto is surrounded by discos and clubs. Further down the Avenida del Puerto lies the colonial city, an enclave with alleyways and cobblestone streets.

Calle El Conde, one of Santo Domingo's oldest streets, is a pedestrian area that runs from Parque Colon to Parque Independencia and is a popular shopping strip.It was the site of the March for Independence in 1844.

The Casa del Cordón c 1503 is the first Spanish-style home built in the Americas.The house derives its name from the stone cord (cordón) symbol of the Franciscan order, sculpted above the entrance. Today it is a cultural center.

Restored to the 19th C, Casa Duarte houses a museum highlighting the important moments in the life of the founding father of the Dominican Republic and displays many of Juan Pablo Duarte's belongings.

Fine masonry, arches, fountains, balconies and courtyards are part of the palatial 16th C home of Governor Nicolas de Ovando. Possibly erected in 1506, the building has been restored to its 16th C glory and has been turned into a hotel.

Parque Independencia in Santo Domingo is a big city square and a popular gathering place whose most prominent feature is the National Pantheon, where the nations heroes are buried.

These are the ruins of the oldest monastery in the New World. Located on a hilltop overlooking the city, this monastery c 1556 was torched by England's Sir Francis Drake in 1586, rebuilt and then destroyed by an earthquake in 1673.

Parque Colón, one of Santo Domingo's main gathering places has a bronze statue of Columbus at its center.

The three-sided Fort San Gil was built to defend Santo Domingo against pirates and offers good views out to the sea.

Hernán Cortés planned the conquest of Mexico from the chambers of his house, now the Casa Francia, (French Embassy). Concerts are sometimes held here.

Examples of Larimar or blue pectolite are displayed in this modern and informative museum housed in a restored building in the Zona Colonial.

Plaza España surrounds a statue of Nicolas de Ovando, a founder of Santo Domingo. The square is bordered by exquisite colonial houses and upscale restaurants.