ChuChu Colonial

During my trip to the Dominican Republic in June 2023, I visited the capital city of Santo Domingo. As the first European city in the Americas, Santo Domingo has over 500 years of history. Ciudad Colonial [Colonial City] at the heart of the capital is a UNESCO world heritage site. The best way to get a layout of this area is to take a tour on ChuChu Colonial. This forty-five minute “train” ride loops around the main roads of the original city. Here are some highlights from the ChuChu.

The tour begins at the ChuChu Colonial station on Calle Isabel La Católica. This street is named for Isabel the Catholic, also known as Isabel I de Castilla. She was the wife of Fernando II of Spain and funded the voyages of Cristobal Colón [Christopher Columbus]. The street runs through Parque Colón, a park featuring a large statue of Columbus and lined with local restaurants. The ChuChu quickly turns left onto Calle Mercedes [Compassion Street]. The name refers to an epithet of the Virgin Mary, Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes [Our Lady of Compassion]. On the corner is Casa Reales [House of Royals]. The Spanish constructed this house in the early 16^th century as one of the first government buildings in Santo Domingo. The building is now a museum about colonial history.

Calle Mercedes crosses Calle Hostos, a street which has changed names several times. The street was called Calle Militar for the military or Calle del Hospital for nearby Hospital San Nicolás de Bari. This was the oldest European style hospital in the Americas. Its constructor, Nicolás de Ovando, named the hospital for his patron saint, also known as Saint Nicholas of Myra or Santa Claus. The street received its current name from a late 19^th century activist and educator, Eugenio María de Hostos Bonilla. The street has been a film site for multiple Hollywood movies and is currently blocked off from the public. Also in the area is Santuario Arquidiocesano Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia [Archdiocese Sanctuary of Our Lady of Highest Grace] a classic white Catholic church founded in 1922.

The train turned left onto Calle Duarte, named for favorite Dominican hero Juan Pablo Duarte, “Padre de la Patria” [Father of the Fatherland]. Visible during the turn was Primera Iglesia Evangélica Dominicana [First Dominican Evangelical Church] founded in 1922, the same year as the nearby Catholic church. This was the first Protestant church in the city. Parque María Trinidad Sánchez includes a bust of its namesake, which serves as “Homenaje de la Mujer Dominicana” [Homage to Dominican Women]. Sánchez helped to design the Dominican flag during the War of Independence. She was executed for her participation in the war and was buried at Panteón de la Patria [Pantheon of the Fatherland] among other Dominican heroes.

Other famous revolutionaries received street names in this part of the capital. Calle Luperón was named for General Gregorio Luperón, whose house I had visited the previous day. Calle Salomé Ureña was named for a poet and educator who received her own mural inside Monumento a los Héroes de la Restauración in Santiago. Calle El Conde is currently a pedestrian-only shopping street. It received its name from Bernardino de Meneses y Bracamonte, Conde de Peñalva, a Spanish military leader who fought the English military during the Siege of Santo Domingo in 1655. Calle Arzobispo Nouel was named for Adolfo Alejandro Nouel y Bobadilla, Archbishop of Santo Domingo during the Dominican Civil War and the First United States Occupation of the Dominican Republic.

Another left turn brings the ChuChu onto Calle Padre Billini. This street is named for Francisco Xavier Billini, an Italian Dominican priest who dedicating his life to helping others. He built a hospital, appropriately named Hospital Padre Billini, still operating from its original location further down on Calle Arzobispo Nouel. A park and a statue were built on this street in his honor. Across the street from Parque Billini is Casa de Tostado, once home of the Tostado family. Dominican author Francisco Tostado de la Peña was born in the house in 1514. He died during an attack on Hispaniola by English privateer Francis Drake in 1586, which I had previously learned about when visiting Fortaleza San Felipe in Puerto Plata.

On the opposite side of the corner at Calle Duarte and Calle Padre Billini are Quinta Dominica, Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen [Church of Our Lady from Carmen], Parque Duarte [Duarte Park], and Iglesia Conventual de los Dominicos [Convent Church of the Dominicans]. The convent is part of Universidad Santo Tomas de Aquino, which opened in 1538 and offered the first science degree in the western hemisphere. The building houses Centro de Teología Santo Domingo de Guzman Dominicos [Dominican Center of Theology].

The museum Quinta Dominica is an early 17^th century colonial building with permanent exhibits on the Spanish royal family and temporary exhibits by local artists. The church next door was built in 1615 by the monks who ran the hospital. The park holds a massive memorial featuring a statue of Duarte, along with an enormous statue of Nike or Victoria, the Greco-Roman goddess of victory; and a tiny man representing the fight for independence. The monastery was built in the early 16^th century to house Dominican friars.

Farther down this street is Plaza Fray Bartolomé de las Casas, named for a bishop who was titled Protectoría de Los Indios [Protector of the Indians] and argued for the humane treatment of indigenous people on Hispaniola. However, las Casas was a long-time enslaver of indigenous people before taking this role, and he did not oppose slavery. In fact, he supported the importation enslaved Africans to work on plantations in Hispaniola.

A final left turn brought the ChuChu back onto Calle Isabel La Católica. On the corner was Iglesia y Convento de Santa Clara [Church and Convent of Saint Clare]. A counterpart to the monastery, this nunnery was built in the 1550s to house the nuns for the Order of Saint Clare, also known as the Poor Clares. Farther down the street was the office and home of Arzobispado de Santo Domingo, along with Instituto Catequístico Fray Ramón Pané. The Arquidiocesis de Santo Domingo manages all of these buildings. These religious offices and seminary were named for Ramon Pané, a friar in the Order of Saint Jerome, who are also called Hieronymites. Pané arrived at Hispaniola with Columbus and recorded the culture of the Taino, an indigenous group from the Caribbean. In more recent history, Mother Teresa stayed at the house in 1982.

Finally, just before returning to the station, the ChuChu passed the oldest cathedral in the western hemisphere. Its complete name with all epithets is Basílica Catedral de Santa María la Menor, Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación o Anunciación, Primada de América, de Santo Domingo [Basilica Cathedral of Saint Mary the Younger, Our Lady of the Incarnation or Annunciation, First of America, from Santo Domingo]. The original structure was built between 1523 and 1540 with a series of renovations and restorations until the present day.

This tour was an ideal way to see the city, especially after a long day of walking. Each train car sits eight to ten people. Unfortunately, train cars were not wheelchair accessible. A personalized audio tour played in each car and was available in seven language: Spanish, English, French, Portugues, Russian, Italian, and German. Additionally, catchy local music played between the narrative segments. A multilingual tour guide sat beside the audio tour player and answered additional questions as needed. Tickets are $12USD, with a discount for paying in pesos. The ticket office is located underneath Colegio de Abogados la República Dominicana [Dominican Republic Law School] The train runs from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with 16 tours a day. This was the most consistent, reliable excursion I experienced during my entire trip to the Dominican Republic. I would gladly ride again.

Abby Epplett’s Rating System

Experience: 9/10

Accessibility: 7/10