Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(Calle Hostos)
Standing next to a bright, white Iglesia de la Altagracia are the ruins of the
New World's first hospital. They remain as a monument to Governor Nicolás de Ovando,
who ordered the hospital built in 1503. So sturdy was the edifice that it survived Drake's
invasion and centuries of earthquakes and hurricanes. It remained virtually intact until it
was devastated by a hurricane in 1911, and public-works officials ordered much of it
knocked down so that it wouldn't pose a threat to pedestrians.
Today visitors can still see several of its high walls and Moorish arches. Note that the
hospital's floor plan follows the form of a Latin cross.
Puerta del Conde
MAP
MONUMENT
GOOGLE MAP
(Gate of the Count; Calle El Conde)
This gate is named for the Count of Peñalba, Bernardo de
Meneses y Bracamonte, who led the successful defense of Santo Domingo against an in-
vading force of 13,000 British troops in 1655. It's the supreme symbol of Dominican pat-
riotism because right beside it, in February 1844, a handful of brave Dominicans executed
a bloodless coup against occupying Haitian forces; their actions resulted in the creation of
a wholly independent Dominican Republic.
It was also atop this gate that the very first Dominican flag was raised. Just west of the
mausoleum that holds the remains of three national heroes: Juan Pablo Duarte, Francisco
del Rosario Sánchez and Ramón Matías Mella. The park itself has a few benches but little
shade.
Puerta de San Diego
(Av del Puerto)
For a time, this imposing gate, built in 1571 downhill from the Alcázar de
Colón, was the main entrance into the city. Beside it you can still see some of the original
wall, which was erected to protect the city from assaults launched from the river's edge.
MONUMENT
Puerta de la Misericordia
(Gate of Mercy; Arzobispo Portes)
This gate was erected during the 16th century and for many
decades served as the main western entrance to the city. It obtained its name after a major
earthquake in 1842, when a large tent was erected beside it to provide temporary shelter
for the homeless.
MONUMENT
