Zona Colonial in Photos

The modern day city of Santo Domingo dates back over 500 years, and is officially known as the first modern town to be established in the Western Hemisphere. This historic capital on the island of Hispaniola was the first place that Christopher Columbus settled when he “found” the New World, and what began in Santo Domingo with a small troupe of sailors would expand to become an empire. Visitors today can stroll the Old Town past the cobbled and coral block buildings, and it’s humbling to know as you stroll about town that you’re walking in the footsteps of Columbus.

For first-time travelers to Santo Domingo there is no better sight than the Zona Colonial. Not only is this historic city a safe place for travelers to visit, but you are transported in time to the early-1500’s when Spain was building its New World empire. While the city of Santo Domingo has grown in 500 years to a teeming metropolis of 3 million people, the Zona Colonial (Colonial Zone) is a UNESCO World Heritage sight that feels closer to a stroll through a European city than a burgeoning Caribbean capital. Even for all of its history, however, the ills of modernity can still be seen in the darker corners of the city. Here, a lone homeless man drinks a bottle of beer on the steps of a colonial structure, the scene itself being somewhat of a microcosm for the ruinous era of colonialism.

To see some of the most colorful, old, colonial architecture in the Caribbean, it is not necessary to get a difficult-to-procure ticket to Havana. Of course, Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic is not the only Caribbean city with narrow streets, colorful buildings and history. But, it holds the oldest cathedral of the Americas and is slightly less traveled despite its status as a UNESCO World Heritage site. While in Santo Domingo with a friend who was living there, we checked out the ruins which is not difficult to do in the Zona Colonial area of the city. The Ozama Fortress on the Ozama River is one of the largest that visitors can walk through. The large flamboyan and jacaranda trees in the fortress’s center spews its colorful petals on the grounds surrounding the ruins making for a beautiful setting to spend an afternoon.