Santo Domingo’s Colonial City retains the imprint of an encounter between two cultures, the European and the Taíno. ‘La Zona’ – as this part of the city is known – was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1990 in recognition of the historical value of its Colonial buildings, which are essential to understanding how the entire Spanish and European colonisation of the American continent was organised and managed. A historiographical review carried out in recent years by experts, especially from Latin America, helps us to decipher the secrets of buildings such as the Primada de América Cathedral. The first base of Christianisation in the Caribbean, this church replaced the local Taíno gods and the deities with the Catholic faith. In the cathedral, the colonial authorities created brotherhoods, such as that of Saint John the Baptist, for both Indigenous and local communities. The aim was to colonise them through religion, and this gave rise to spaces in which their traditions survived by taking on other codes, thus creating a common set of habits and customs that are still present in Dominican culture today.

Pope Julius II approved the construction of the cathedral in 1504, but the works, which began about a decade later, would not be completed until 1541 due to the continuous arrival and succession of new authorities to the so-called New World, where – far from the control of the Crown – colonisers trekked back and forth, embarking on different missions in search of wealth, land and adventures. Initially, the cathedral was built following the Gothic-style plans of the architect Alonso de Rodríguez, but the influence of the Renaissance style of the Austrias can be clearly seen in its construction after humanist bishop Alessandro Geraldini and master builders Rodrigo de Liendo and Luis Moya took charge of the project. Its interior is home to valuable works of art from the early Colonial period, such as Baroque altarpieces, an archbishop’s throne in Plateresque Gothic style and pieces of fine woodwork. The cathedral has endured important challenges: when the privateer Sir Francis Drake took the city of Santo Domingo, he set up a headquarters for his men in the cathedral and they plundered it.

Another of the key destinations in the Colonial Zone is Calle Las Damas, the oldest street in the city. It dates back to 1502, when Nicolás de Ovando ‘refounded’ Santo Domingo on behalf of the Crown of Castile. This route leads to interesting spots such as the Fortaleza Ozama, the first European military fortification on American soil. From its keep, the Spaniards protected themselves from English pirates and from the maritime forces of the other European crowns, such as the Portuguese and the French. Its interior contains a network of tunnels and dungeons where Christopher Columbus himself was imprisoned after being denounced for his poor governance of the settlers and his mistreatment of the Indigenous people.

Following the banks of the River Ozama, visitors will find the Fortress of Columbus, a palace erected by Diego Columbus – the conquistador’s son – to become his residence when he served as governor. Of Mudejar Gothic style but, again, with clear Renaissance influences, this palace today houses a museum where the reality of the conquest of the Caribbean and the of viceregal period is studied, as well as delving into the secrets and intrigues of the court that was, de facto, created around the governor, his wife, María de Toledo, their descendants and some of the most famous names of the conquest of the Americas. These include Hernán Cortés and Francisco Pizarro, who, on their way to today’s Mexico and Peru, found lodging in its buildings. The Fortress of Columbus was also subjected to looting and assaults by pirates under the orders of Sir Francis Drake. Just as they had done in the cathedral, they plundered the riches of the complex during their attacks.

The fortress and the complex that housed the Real Audiencia of Santo Domingo palace in Colonial times are located at opposite ends of the same square, the Plaza de España. And this is no coincidence. The layout of the Colonial City was designed with the most avant-garde ideas of the time in an attempt to make it easier for Spanish settlers to carry out their activities and for it to serve as a model for the rest of the new cities founded on the American continent. For five decades, the Real Audiencia of Santo Domingo palace – the seat of the Colonial government since King Ferdinand the Catholic ordered its construction in 1511 – has been home to the Museum of the Royal Houses, which focuses on the history of the island of Hispaniola from the period before the conquest until the independence of the Dominican Republic, in 1844. The museum is considered one of the most interesting in the Americas in terms of the history of the Colonial period, as it has some priceless pieces, such as the only preserved shield of Queen Juana I of Castile in the world.

One of the stops required to understand the life of the viceregal period is in the Atarazanas Reales, a complex built in 1509 where all issues related to the government of the seas were resolved. It also housed the first shipyards, warehouses, customs and tax offices in the Americas. Its architectural value is enormous, as it is one of the few buildings of this type still standing on either side of the Atlantic, a symbol of one of the most intense historical periods of the conquest. Today, it exhibits an important collection of naval objects that tell the history of maritime activity around Hispaniola, along with salvaged relics obtained thanks to the underwater archaeology campaigns that take place around the island with the aim of exploring the history of the numerous shipwrecks and battles that took place in its waters. However, the Atarazanas Reales must also be remembered as a setting of great pain, as it was the first gateway for the enslaved African populations transported by sea to the Americas. It is an invitation to reflect on the conquest of the New World, one of the most complex historical events of our past that is still alive in the streets of Santo Domingo’s Colonial Zone.