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| REPÚBLICA DOMINICANA | Dominican Republic |
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Santo Domingo (in full Santo Domingo de Guzmán) is the capital of the Dominican Republic.
It is located on the Caribbean Sea, at the mouth of the Ozama River. With its population of about 2 million (the whole
agglomeration has about 3 million) (2005), it is also the largest city of the country.
The picture on glass no. 2180 [left] shows the 
Puerta del Conde (Baluarte 27 de Febrero).
Originally known as the "Bastion of San Genaro", this military structure goes back to the 16th century.
The name "Puerta del Conde" (Gate of the Count) was given to the structure in honor of the Count of Peñalba,
who led the defense of the city when in 1655 the English tried to overrun the city.
This structure was also the place where the Dominicans led an important revolt that eventually led to the country's
independence from Haiti, on February 27, 1844. Today, the Puerta del Conde is home to the Altar of the Homeland.
Situated in what is now Independence Park, the Altar is where the three founding fathers, Juan Pablo Duarte,
Francisco del Rosario Sánchez and Matías Ramón Mella are laid to rest.
[Text adapted from http://www.diariolibre.com/app/article.aspx?id=44333]
Before the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492, the Taino Indians populated the island of Hispaniola, including the part now occupied by Haiti. The Taino civilization effectively ended on October 12, 1492, with the arrival of Christopher Columbus, who declared Hispaniola "the most beautiful land that human eyes have ever seen." Bartholomew Columbus, brother of Christopher Columbus, founded Santo Domingo, which is today the oldest European city in the New World. In reality the city dates back to 1496, the period when the first Europeans settled there, although officially it was founded on August 5, 1498. It is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the Americas, and was the first seat of Spanish colonial rule in the New Colony. Throughout its first century, Santo Domingo was the launching pad for much of the exploration and conquest of the New World. The expeditions that led to Ponce de León's discovery of Puerto Rico, Hernán Cortés' conquest of Mexico and Vasco Núñez de Balboa's sighting of the Pacific Ocean all started from Santo Domingo.
In 1568, the famous English raider Francis Drake invaded and pillaged Hispaniola. This so weakened Spanish dominion over the island that for more than 50 years all but the capital was abandoned and left to the mercy of the pirates. In 1655, the French invaded the west end of the island, and after several treaties and forced annexations, the portion of the island controlled by Santo Domingo was reduced to less than half. Later on, in 1822, the Haitians took over the entire island, and the island's Spanish-speaking residents had to fight for their lost independence and survival. Finally, on February 27, 1844, the Spanish part of the island regained its independence after 22 years of Haitian rule. It was then when the Spanish part of the island became the country known today as the Dominican Republic.
After independence was achieved, various political factions struggled for control of Santo Domingo. In 1861, the Spanish returned to Santo Domingo and annexed the country for four years, this period is known as "Anexión a España". After that, Santo Domingo went through many power changes, including the 20th-century Trujillo dictatorship (established after the 1916–1924 occupation by US Marines), which lasted from 1930 to 1961. During this period, Santo Domingo had been renamed Ciudad Trujillo. The civil wars and political struggles marked the first 70 years of the country's independence. The year 1992 marked the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' discovery of America. The Columbus Lighthouse (Faro de Colón), with an approximate cost of 400 million Dominican pesos, was erected, amidst great controversy, in honor of this occasion.
On May 20, 1506, Columbus died in Valladolid, fairly wealthy due to the gold his men had accumulated in Hispaniola.
Following his death, his body underwent excarnation — the flesh was removed so that only his bones remained.
Even after his death, his travels continued: first interred in Valladolid and then at the monastery of La Cartuja in Sevilla,
by the will of his son Diego, Viceroy of the Indies and governor of Hispaniola, his remains were transferred to Santo Domingo in 1542.
In 1795, the French took over, and his remains were removed to Havana. After Cuba became independent
following the Spanish–American War in 1898, his remains were moved back to the Cathedral of Seville, where they were placed
on an elaborate catafalque. However, a lead box bearing an inscription identifying "Don Christopher Columbus" and containing
fragments of bone and a bullet was discovered in Santo Domingo in 1877. To lay to rest claims that the wrong relics were
moved to Havana and that Columbus is still buried in the cathedral of Santo Domingo, DNA samples were taken in June 2003.
Results announced in May 2006 show that at least some of Columbus' remains rest in Seville, but authorities in Santo Domingo
have not allowed the remains in their custody to be tested.
[Text adapted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santo_Domingo, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Columbus]
The colonial centre of Santo Domingo was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1990.
(See also list of other UNESCO World Heritage sites)
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