The best museums Santo Domingo & Area

Long before being transformed into a museum, these two imposing palaces were the seat of the main royal institutions. They housed the General Captaincy (the first Court of Justice in the New World with authority over all the courts of America) as well as the Royal Treasury and the Royal Audience, which was created in 1513 before being transferred to Cuba on 12 December 1799, after the signing of the Treaty of Basle that ceded the western part of the island to France. The construction of the complex was completed in 1520, and on the southern façade facing Mercedes Street was the only known coat of arms of Queen Joanna of Castile, mother of Charles V. The coat of arms is now on display in the museum. The complex was restored in 1967. The entrance is through the main façade of the building. It is decorated with the coats of arms of Emperor Charles I of Spain, those of the island of Hispaniola and that of the city of Santo Domingo, granted by royal privilege on 7 December 1508.

The museum exhibits treasures found in Dominican waters and traces the history from the beginning of the Conquest to 1821, the date of the first independence. All the Spanish period of the island is shown in the form of objects, maps, weapons... An interesting curiosity is the magnificent apothecary's cabinet, where the ceramic pots for the different medicinal herbs are displayed in a rigorous alignment. Temporary exhibitions are held here regularly. The whole place is well worth a visit.

This immense grey concrete edifice is the capital's most recent and probably least attractive monument. However, its illumination and blessing by the Pope was the highlight of the 1992 celebration of the ^500th anniversary of the "discovery" of the New World. The building stands on a hill in the center of the Mirador del Este park, in the eastern part of the city, on the very spot where it was originally founded in 1496.

The project to build a monument to honor the memory of the great admiral dates back to 1852. Dominican historian Antonio del Monte y Tejeda launched the idea of erecting a colossal edifice on the site of America's first city, La Isabela. The collaboration and financial participation of all the countries of the American continent, as well as that of the European capitals, were obviously required. The initial project envisaged a statue the size of the Colossus of Rhodes, embracing the two American continents between its two arms. In November 1927, the Pan-American Union (now OAS: Organization of American States) decided to launch an international competition for the construction of the lighthouse. Nearly 450 projects were submitted by 1,926 architects of 44 nationalities. The ten best were selected in April 1929 and exhibited at the Palacio de las Artes in Madrid. On October 17, 1931, an international jury, meeting at the National School of Fine Arts in Rio de Janeiro, chose the design by English architect J.-L. Gleave: a gigantic, elongated cross, placed on the ground, symbolizing evangelization and progress. At night, the lighthouse would offer a fairy-tale spectacle: two great blood-red rays forming Columbus's cross would be encircled by the white cross of progress. The cross would be reflected in the sky, as if suspended above the city.

The project was built in reinforced concrete, on the hill where the original city of Santo Domingo stood. Construction began on April 14, 1948, then was interrupted. It was not resumed until 1987. The inauguration finally took place on October 6, 1992. The monument officially cost 135 million pesos, but the Dominicans claim it cost much more.

The Faro a Colón is exactly what was planned: the imposing edifice (310 m long, 44 m wide and 33 m high) houses at its center the remains of Christopher Columbus, in the white marble mausoleum, now guarded by an incessant ballet of sailors.

A museum traces the history of the monument. Another evokes the period of the Conquest and colonization.

This museum opened in 1973 and presents a very complete panorama of Dominican culture, from prehistory to the present day. An important part of the exhibition rooms is devoted to the indigenous populations of the island. A magnificent collection of Taino art is presented: ceramics, urns, trigonoliths and cemis, vomiting spatulas, ceremonial seats(duho). An important section is devoted to the period of the Conquest, as well as to religious syncretism and the carnival.

French-speaking welcome in this museum which is also a workshop and store! At the Amber World Museum you will be able to admire the most beautiful and largest amber and larimar stones in the country. These stones are then transformed in the museum's workshop: everything you can buy in the store was indeed made in the workshop. The guided tour lasts about 45 minutes. A very interesting museum, both in the objects on display and in the general atmosphere of the museum. Young and old alike will appreciate it. Coffee area on site.

This museum explains the origin of the indigenous blue stone also known as Dominican turquoise. For thousands of years, it has been found only around the town of Barahona, in the south-west of the country. Unique in the world for its color and chemical composition, this stone has a spectrum of colors ranging from navy blue to celestial azure. Beyond the geological interest of this rarity, the stone has become a medium for jewelry-making craftsmen. The way out is through the store, which offers the very best in stone-cutting.

This foundation, the result of collaboration between scientists and companies, develops programs for the benefit of national archaeology. The exhibition, housed in the Pepsi-Cola company premises, features a very rich collection covering the Paleo-Indian, Meso-Indian and Taino periods. Among the many domestic and ceremonial objects on display are amulets, body ornaments, ceramics and objects used in the cohoba rite.

The museum was born of a private initiative, and offers a rich collection of paintings and sculptures by national artists of the ^19th and ^20th centuries. The exhibition highlights the different pictorial currents that marked this period. Three painters in particular stand out: Jaime Colson, Yordi Morel and Dario Suro. An interesting visit, although the museum is somewhat out of the way and only worth a detour for art enthusiasts. Mind you, access isn't easy either: you have to pass through the huge Honda store - surprising!

Like all colonial buildings, the Casa de la Moneda (because it was located opposite the place where coins were minted) was built in the 16th century, in 1540. It is a fine example of the civil architecture of that period. Its plateresque portal with five medallions is superb. It is also known as the Casa de los Cinco Medallones. Since 1972 this house has housed the Numismatic Museum, which is not of great interest. It has been renovated several times, keeping its original style.

It is in this modest house that Juan Pablo Duarte was born, on January 26, 1813, a hero of the war of independence. Born into a wealthy family of Spanish merchants, he developed a patriotic spirit at a very young age. He joined the Haitian National Guard and participated in the Reformation and the new Haitian government that resulted. Persecuted by the Haitian authorities, he embarked for Venezuela, from where he continued the fight for independence.

Built at the beginning of the sixteenth century, this two-storey building was the home of the writer Francisco del Tostado, a companion of Nicolás de Ovando, who died under the cannonballs fired by Francis Drake's troops. Built of stone, the Casa de Tostado has a remarkable geminated Gothic window on its north façade. Later, it housed the archbishop's palace. Today, it has been transformed into the Dominican Family Museum, and bears witness to the domestic customs and lifestyles of the island in the 19th century.

The building now houses the Trampolino Museum for children. You can take a curious look at the interior garden. Archbishop Rodrigo de Bastidas, founder of the city of Coro, the first capital of Venezuela, and of Santa Marta in Colombia, took up residence here in the 16th century. His son, who bore the same name, was archbishop of San Juan de Puerto Rico. The house, next to the Ozama fortress, which has a beautiful garden shaded by large trees and surrounded by a deep gallery, was once a military hospital.