i Dominican Republic - travelfilm.de

Columbus moored his caravel on his
second voyage to the New World.
From here one can see the Faro a Colon
(Columbus Lighthouse), a mausoleum that
holds his mortal remains. Unquestionably,
it is the most fitting tribute to his memory.
On the east bank of the Ozama River
stands the Capilla del Rosario, the city’s
oldest church dating back to 1496, when
the city, then called New Isabella, was on
the other side of the river. There is proof
that here, in 1544, Friar Bartolomé de
las Casas celebrated mass to bless the
expeditionary force that set sail from here
to colonize Guatemala.
Ascending the slope where the craft
shops are located, one comes to Isabel
la Católica Street (formerly Calle del
Comercio). A right turn at the end of the
street leads to a colonial church and a
fortress complex, the only one of its kind
in the city. The church and Fort Santa
Bárbara (as the complex is called) were
built around 1574 on a former stonequarry
that supplied the material for most
of the colonial city’s monuments. It was
also in this very chapel that Juan Pablo
Duarte, the country’s founding father, was
baptized.
From its gardens one can view the
colonial city from a different perspective.
Walking along Arzobispo Meriño
Street leads eventually to the Casa de
la Moneda y el Monasterio de San
Francisco. At the corner of Delmonte y
Tejada stand the ruins of the Monasterio
62
de San Francisco (Franciscan monastery),
constructed in 1512. It was here that the
Taíno named Guarocuya was baptized
into the Christian faith and educated.
He has gone down in Dominican history
under the now famous, cryptic sobriquet
“Enriquillo”.
Farther along Arzobispo Meriño Street,
a right turn on Luperón Street leads to
the first hospital in the New World,
San Nicolás de Bari. Within its walls
stand the first chapel dedicated to the
Virgen de la Altagracia (The Virgin of
the Most High), patroness of Hispaniola.
Constructed in 1503, it has maintained
its majestic architectural form through the
centuries.
Parque Colón, Columbus Park
A leisurely stroll from Arzobispo Meriño
to El Conde Street leads to a marketplace