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Dominican Republic

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Santo Domingo is the capital of the Dominican Republic. Founded in 1496 by Christopher Columbus, it is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the Americas, with the region's first cathedral, hospital, customs house, and university. The town was laid out in a grid pattern that became the model for almost all town planners in the New World.
The Cathedral of Santa María la Menor is in the Colonial City of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Constructed between 1514 and 1541, it was dedicated to St. Mary of the Incarnation and bears the honorary title of Primate of the Indies because it is the oldest cathedral in the Western Hemisphere. The cathedral's limestone façade is a gold-tinted coral.
The Pantheon National -- also known as Pantheon of the Fatherland, National Mausoleum, or Pantheon of the Homeland -- is located in Santo Domingo, capital city of the Dominican Republic. Constructed between 1715 and 1745, this Neoclassic-Renaissance-style building was originally built as the Jesuit Convent of San Igancio de Loyola. It was home to the Jesuits until they were expelled from the country in 1767. After the church closed, the building was used as a tobacco warehouse, a theater, and a government office building. In 1956, Spanish architect Javier Borroso renovated the structure to serve as a national mausoleum.
The interior of the Pantheon National in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Constructed in the 18th century in the Neoclassic-Renaissance style, the building was originally a Jesuit church but later became a warehouse, a theater, and a government building. In 1956, it was renovated as a national mausoleum.
The ruin of Hospital San Nicolás de Bari, in the Colonial City of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Built by order of Governor Nicolas de Ovando between 1503 and 1508, it was the first stone hospital and church in the Americas. The hospital, a combination of Gothic and Renaissance architecture, operated from 1522 until the mid-18th century.
The Museo de las Casas Reales (Museum of the Royal Houses), on the right, is a part of the Colonial City of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The building was constructed between 1505 and 1511 as the Palace of the Viceroy of Santo Domingo; in 1973, it became a national museum, housing collections dating back to the Spanish colonial era.
The Ozama Fortress in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, is part of the Colonial City of Santo Domingo and was recognized by UNESCO in 1990 as the oldest European military construction in the Americas. Built between 1502 and 1508 using coral stones, the Tower of Homage stands in the center of the grounds. The statue on the left depicts Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés, who was governor of the fortress from 1533 to 1557.
Diego Columbus, the son of Christopher Columbus, built the Alcazar de Colon in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, as his residence and fortress. It was the first fortified palace built in the Americas, with construction starting in the early 1500s.
Parque Nacional los Tres Ojos (National Park of the Three Eyes) is a nature reserve and open-air limestone cave system in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Visitors can ride between overlooks on a raft across one of the underground lakes.
Parque Nacional los Tres Ojos (National Park of the Three Eyes) is a nature reserve and open-air limestone cave system in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Water filters down from the surface and collects in several pools at the base of the sinkhole. In the early morning, the sun is low enough to reach the clear, mineral-rich waters, providing a stunning reward for early risers.
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