Calle Las Damas

Back in June 2023 during my visit to the Dominican Republic, I stopped at the first European style street built in the Americas, Calle Las Damas [Ladies Street] in Santo Domingo. Once an upscale route, this site is now the perfect stop for a walking tour. The street received its name from the viceroy Maria de Toledo and her clique, the wealthiest noblewomen in Hispanola. Her husband, Diego Colón [James Columbus], was the only legitimate son of Cristóbal Colón [Christopher Columbus] and served as governor of the island. On this street, visit historic homes, forts, academic organizations, and a chocolate store.

Alcazar de Colón

On the northern end of Calle Las Damas is the Italian Renaissance inspired Alcazar de Colón [Castle of Columbus]. Also called Palacio Virreinal de Diego Colón [Viceroy Palace of James Columbus], this building was the first viceroy palace in the Americas, along with the home of Colón and Toledo. According to the sign on the outside of the palace, the family built the house by 1511 and lived in the house until 1577. Last restored in 1955, the building is now a historical museum with sporadic opening times. The museum was closed for maintenance during my visit.

Fuertes Invencible y San Diego

This pair of colonial forts is sandwiched between Calle Las Damas and Avenida del Puerto [Port Avenue], also called Avenida Francisco Alberto Caamaño Deñó. Named for Dominican military officer and president during the Civil War of in 1965, Francisco Alberto Caamaño Deñó, who was assassinated at age forty, the seaside road is now a major highway.

Back when the chain of forts were constructed in the 16^th century, Fuerte Invencible protected the governor of Hispanola, Frey Nicolás de Ovando, who also started the building of Hospital San Nicolás de Bari. Down the street was the wealthy Dávila family, whose house is another featured stop on this list.

Also in the area is Ultima Morada en América de Cristóbal Colón, the final house of Christopher Columbus when he lived in Santo Domingo. Fuerte San Diego features Puerta de San Diego, also called Puerta de la Mar [Gate of the Sea], which originally led from the fort down to the water.

Casa Reales & Palacio de los Gobernadores

I spent several hours inside the museum at Casa Reales [Royal House], and the outside is equally spectacular. Early Spanish colonists constructed the building in 1508 for the treasurer of Hispanola, Cristóbal de Santa Clara. Next door is Palacio de los Gobernadores [Palace of the Governors] for the governor and his family. The building served a variety of government-focused purposes until the Trujillo Era and became a museum in 1973.

Casa de los Dávila y Capilla de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios

Francisco Dávila, patriarch of the wealthy Dávila family, served as “Oidor, Tesorero Real, Regidor Perpetuo de la Ciudad y Capitán” [Colonial Judge, Royal Treasurer, Perpetual City Councilor, and Captain] in Santo Domingo from 1520 from 1554. In fact, the city derives its name from his hometown, Santo Domingo de Silos. The house had its own private chapel, Capilla de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios [Chapel of Our Lady of Remedies], which was last restored in 1884.

Casa de los Jesuitas y Estatuas

Ovando ordered the construction of a home for Jesuit monks in the early 16th century. Unsurprisingly, a nearby statue depicts Ovando standing on a pedastal and holding a scroll, perhaps containing his latest orders. Down the hill is another statue of the Dominican’s favorite national hero, Juan Pablo Duarte. As for the building, it became part of a Jesuit university in 1701 and was renovated in 1747. By 1767, the Jesuits were banned from all Spanish territories, including Hispanola, because Carlos III felt vaguely threatened by them. The government took over the building and turned it into a school. Today, it houses Centro de Altos Estudios Humanísticos y del Idioma Español [Center for Higher Studies of Humanism and the Spanish Language], part of local university UNPHU.

Embajada de Francia

While no longer in the role of Embajada de Francia [Embassy of France], this building still holds historical significance. Ovando ordered the construction of the building in 1502 and may have been lived in by the conquistador Hernán Cortés. Like many buildings in Santo Domingo, it underwent restoration in the late 1970s and was remodeled again in 1999 by the French government. Today, the French embassy is located in a high rise at the center of the city.

Academie de Ciencias de la Republica y Sociedad Dominicana de Bibliofilos

While the buildings of Calle Las Damas are over four hundred years old, many house newer organizations. Academie de Ciencias de la Republica [Republic Science Academy] is housed in a building constructed between 1512 and 1518. According to a sign on the outside wall of the building, the academy was founded in 1974 and moved into the building in 1975. The latest restoration occurred in 1978 as a collaboration between restorationists, archeologiests, and historians. A second excavation conducted in 1999 yielded information about prehispanic civilations on Hispanola. Next door to the academy is Sociedad Dominicana de Bibliofilos, founded in 1973 to preserve and share Dominican culture through books. A sign on this building described the over 15,000 printed materials about the Dominican and Caribbean. The society publishes Spanish translations and rare books with only one known copy in the country.

Kahkow

Finishing the trip down Calle Las Damas is the flagship store of Kahkow, a Dominican chocolate company. If your scheduled tour of a cocoa farm was abruptly canceled like mine was, you can still learn and taste chocolate during a Disney-like experience. In a series of rooms, watch ghosts describe the history of chocolate, walk through a cacoa forest, and taste a wide range chocolates. Tickets cost $16 for adults and $9 per person, a steep price even with the high production value. Tours are available in English, Spanish, French, and German. The full experience is wheelchair accessible. The dark spaces and ghosts might frighten or disorient some visitors. If the doors are open, but no one is in the building, the staff is having a prolonged break outside, and you will need to ask them to come back in. Chocolate making and soap making experiences are also available on site.

Of course, the building itself has historical significance. According to a sign inside the lobby, Kahkow is inside a building intended to house the first bishop of Santo Domingo, Francisco Garcia de Padilla, who died on his way to Hispanola. Another church leader, Diego del Rio, came in 1517 and lived there for forty years until his death in 1557. On the wall are a collection of olambrilla tiles discovered during an archeological dig. These arabesque style tiles have shapes, animals, plants, and small people as decorations.

This walk stretches less than half a mile (800 meters) but is packed with history to be enjoyed at the visitor’s own pace. Athletic visitors who enjoy a scenic walk can easily travel the entire length and back in under twenty minutes, while intense historians can spend several hours photographing every sign and architectural detail. Calle Las Damas is a must-visit when traveling to Santo Domingo.