Abby Epplett, Historian

During my trip to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in June 2023, I visited Museo de las Casas Reales [Museum of the Royal Houses] on Calle Las Damas in Ciudad Colonial . Also known as  Palacio de los Gobernadores [Palace of the Governors], this 512-year-old building housed artifacts related to European settlement on Hispaniola. The building served its original purpose as a government office from its construction in 1511 to 1821, when then-president of Spanish Haiti,  Don José Núñez de Cáceres , declared the island independent from Spain. The Trujillo government modified the building in 1947 to store an armory and weapon collection. The constitutional government restored the building in 1973 and kept the museum open to the public since 1976. In the entrance of Muso de las Casa Reales, a large mural depicted a conquistador, likely Diego Colón , the son of Cristóbal Colón [Christopher Columbus], standing beside a cacique or leader of the Taíno. At the front de

During my trip to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in June 2023, I visited the oldest cathedral in the western hemisphere, Catedral Primada de América , located next to Parque Colón . 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]. As a major factor in the decision for Ciudad Colonial to become a UNESCO world heritage site , the five hundred year old Gothic style cathedral offers audio tours in multiple languages, along with supporting a regular parish. To reach the tourist entrance, visitors enter La Plazoleta de los Curas [Little Plaza of the Priests], so called because this was a place for the clergy to gather. The early line of leadership in the church was as interesting as it was confusing. In 1511, Pope Juli