The city's oldest gathering place
Laid out in the 16th century as the Plaza Mayor, Parque Colón has been the meeting place of Santo Domingo for five hundred years. It faces the Catedral Primada and is ringed by colonial buildings now filled with cafés, where the life of the old city still plays out each day.
At its centre stands a bronze statue of Christopher Columbus, cast by the French sculptor Ernest Gilbert and unveiled in 1887.
Where the Colonial Zone meets
Shaded by old laurel trees and busy with pigeons, musicians and vendors, the square is the natural place to begin or pause a walk through the Zone. From its benches you can take in the cathedral's coral-stone façade and the rhythm of the city around it.
What you'll see
- ✦The 1887 bronze statue of Columbus
- ✦The coral-stone façade of the Catedral Primada
- ✦Laurel-shaded benches and colonial cafés
- ✦The everyday life of the old city
