Alcázar de Colón

The Alcázar de Colón stands majestically at the end of Calle Las Damas in Santo Domingo's Colonial Zone, overlooking the Ozama River. Built between 1510 and 1514 for Diego Columbus — Christopher Columbus's eldest son, who inherited his father's title of Viceroy of the Indies — it is the oldest viceregal residence in the Americas.

This stunning palace was built largely from locally quarried coral limestone, and is traditionally said to have been raised without nails. After centuries of use, abandonment, and restoration, it now serves as a museum housing an impressive collection of 16th-century European art, period furniture, and artifacts that tell the story of the early colonial era.