![]() Throughout its historical development, it has incorporated architecture of various eras with their forms, styles, materials and construction methods that have enriched the knowledge and interpretation of its economic, social and cultural development as a living historical centre. Apart from rare but dramatic exceptions, it has retained its traditional scale, the width of the streets, the plots and heights of the buildings. The Colonial City of Santo Domingo, surrounded by its walls, has preserved, almost unaltered, the extension of its territory, its grid layout and most of its architectural monumental structures. Its monumental buildings that date from the beginning of the 16th century, bear witness to the decline of Spanish Gothic and the appearance of the first indications of the Renaissance, as is eloquently illustrated in its cathedral.Ĭriterion (vi): Events of universal importance have seen the light of day in Santo Domingo: expeditions and conquests of new lands left from this point the spread of evangelization and the first Leyes de Indias (Laws of the Indies) were proclaimed and enforced. Its institutional buildings date from the 16th century – Palace of the Viceroy, Cabildo (Town Hall), Real Audiencia (Royal Court of Justice) Chancery and Cathedral – have served as references for future development.Ĭriterion (iv): The initial urban fabric of the City of Santo Domingo, the « Ovando model » is conserved intact, as much in the regularity of its grid layout adjusted here and there due to topographical imperatives, as the original width of its streets. Its grid pattern and its Plaza Mayor have served as a model for new cities in the Americas. Also, it is the Colonial City of Santo Domingo where the Dominican monk, Brother Antonio Montesino launched his appeal for the natural right of the natives, marking the beginning of the combat for the fundamental rights of mankind.Ĭriterion (ii): The Colonial City of Santo Domingo has exercised a strong influence on the development of the cities of the Caribbean and the American continent. With its monumental heritage ensemble and its Gothic buildings unique in this region of the continent, the Colonial City of Santo Domingo maintains in essence the structure, use and functions that have characterized the first constructions at the time of its foundation, preserving its integrity and authenticity.Ĭity of encounters, it is here where for the first time native, European and African cultures crossed and where multicultural understanding was developed in total synchronization of knowledge, language, belief and experiences. Its original plan, the scale of its streets and its buildings are almost totally intact it is the only living urban centre that retains its characteristics of the 15th century. Over an area of 106 ha, bordered by walls, bastions and forts, the inscribed site comprises 32 streets that criss-cross the 116 blocks, constructions of one or two levels with stone, brick or earthen walls. ![]() It is also the first fortified city (fortress of Santo Domingo and its Torre del Homenaje) and the first headquarters of Spanish power in the New World. This checkerboard layout later became a reference for almost all the town planners of the New World.Ĭity of « firsts »,Santo Domngo was the headquarters for the first institutions in the Americas : Saint Mary of the Incarnation Cathedral, Saint Francois Monastery, Saint Thomas Aquinas University, Nicholas de Bari Hospital, and the Casa de Contratación. ![]() In 1502, the Governor Nicolas de Ovando transferred its institutions to the west bank and decided to provide the city with a grid pattern from the Grand Place ( Plaza Mayor). Originally established on the east side of the Ozama in 1496, it was founded by Bartholomew Columbus in 1498, by order of the Catholic kings. Located at the mouth of the Ozama, on the south coast of Hispaniola Island, the Colonial City of Santo Domingo is the core from which Santo Domingo de Guzman, capital of the Dominican Republic, was founded. From its port conquerors such as Ponce de Leon, Juan de Esquivel, Herman Cortes, Vasco Núñez de Balboa, Alonso de Ojeda and many others departed in search of new lands. First permanent establishment of the « New World » and capital of the West Indies,the Colonial City of Santo Domingo – the only one of the 15th century in the Americas – was the place of departure for the spread of European culture and the conquest of the continent. ![]()
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