Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
DON'T MISS
CASA PONCE DE LEÓN
Outside the town of San Rafael del Yuma, east of the two-lane highway linking Higüey to Boca de
Yuma, is a fine rural Dominican town surrounded by fields in all directions, with dirt roads. Spanish
explorer Juan Ponce de León had a second residence built in the countryside near San Rafael del
Yuma during the time he governed Higüey for the Spanish crown. Still standing nearly 500 years later,
Casa Ponce de León
(Ponce de León House; admission RD$50;
9am-5pm) is now a museum to
this notorious character of the Spanish conquest.
Born in 1460, Ponce de León accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the New
World in 1494. In 1508 he conquered Boriquén (present-day Puerto Rico) and served as governor
there from 1510 to 1512. While there, he heard rumors of an island north of Cuba called Bimini,
which had a spring whose waters could reverse the aging process - the fabled fountain of youth. Set-
ting off from Puerto Rico, Ponce de León reached the eastern coast of present-day Florida on April 2
1513, Palm Sunday, and named it Pascua Florida (literally 'Flowery Easter'). He tried to sail around
the peninsula, believing it to be an island, but after realizing his mistake he returned to Puerto Rico.
When he resumed his quest eight years later, landing on Florida's western coast, he and his party were
attacked by Indians. Wounded by an arrow, Ponce de León withdrew to Cuba, where he died shortly
after landing.
The residence-turned-museum is sparse but contains many original items belonging to Ponce de
León, including his armor and much of his furniture. Also original are the candelabra and his bed; his
coat of arms is carved into the headboard. Limited signs are bilingual.
If you have a car and are entering from the north, you'll encounter a fork in the road right past the
police station. Bear left and then turn left onto a dirt road just before the cemetery (it's surrounded by
a tall white wall and there's a sign). After 1.2km, you'll see a set of gates leading to a long access road
on your right with a boxy stone building at the end, which is the museum.
Information
Banco Leon
(Av La Altagracia)
ATM along the median.
BanReservas
(Av La Altagracia)
Has an ATM on the western end of the Av La Altagracia's
median.
Getting There & Away
Air-con coaches to Santo Domingo (RD$250, two hours, every 15 minutes from 5am to
7pm) leave from the large
Aptpra
( 829-537-5342;
www.aptpra.com.do
;
Av Laguna Llana at
Colón)
terminal. There are at least two
expressos
per hour.
Guaguas
to La Romana (RD$110, 45 minutes, every 30 minutes from 5am to 10pm)
leave from the small
Sitraihr
(
809-550-0880; Av la Altagracia)
station on Av La Altagracia
