Abby Epplett, Historian

In June 2023, I made several quick history stops around Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. Earlier that day I had visited the Dominican Amber Experience Museum , Casa Museo General Gregorio Luperón , and Fortaleza San Felipe . As a major port with frequent visits from cruise ships, the city blends historic sites with kitschy tourist traps. In the center of the city was aptly named Parque Central Independencia . A little square next to Catedral de San Felipe Apóstol , the park contains statues of Luperón and Juan Pablo Duarte , the founding father of the Dominican. A nearby sign contains a poem about the patriotism of Duarte. In the middle of the park was a two story grandstand not regularly open to the public. As for the cathedral, the current structure was built in 1870. The original wooden building burned down during the Restoration in 1863. The cathedral has undergone a pair of renovations since then. The first took place from 1929, halted during the 1946 Dominican...

In June 2023, I visited Fortaleza de San Felipe (Saint Philip Fort), a restored 16 th century fort in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic named in honor of Philip the Apostle . Earlier that day, I had visited the Dominican Amber Museum Experience and Casa Museo General Gregorio Luperón , just over 900 m (0.5 miles) away. Provided with an English-language audio guide, I learned the full history of the fort and surrounding area. Before entering the fort, I stopped to see the pair of statues honoring two important men in the history of the Caribbean. Atop a pedestal, General Gregorio Luperón sat astride his rearing war horse and wore his signature hat. Nearby was a green, copper bust of Antonio Maceo y Grajales  with a voluminous mustache. He lived from 1845 to 1896 and served as a military leader during the Ten Years War in Cuba and War of Independence in Cuba. Once inside the fort, visitors freely roamed the pathways marked by guardrail...

In June 2023, I visited Casa Museo General Gregorio Luperón (House Museum of General Gregorio Luperón) in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. Earlier that day, I had visited the Dominican Amber Museum Experience just over a quarter mile (275 m) away. The museum is both the birthplace and deathplace of Gregorio Luperón . The exterior of the house is a beautiful seagreen, and the interior of the house is renovated to display exhibits and artifacts.

Back in June 2023, I visited the Dominican Amber Museum Experience in Puerto Plata, a coastal town in the Dominican Republic about an hour north from the city of Santiago de los Caballeros. This is not to be confused with the Amber World Museum located in the capital, Santo Domingo. With some of the best branding I have seen from a small organization, the Amber Museum proudly (and legally!) uses a logo similar to Jurassic Park thanks to a savvy bargain made by the owners many years ago. The Jimenes family , who also started Centro León in Santiago , still owns La Aurora cigar company , which in turn owns this museum.