Alcazar de
Colon
The Alcazar de Colon or Columbus Alcazar can be
seen in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, is the oldest
viceregal residence in the Americas, and is now part of the
Colonial Zone of Santo Domingo World Heritage Site. The
structure contains the Museo Alcazar de Diego Colon, whose
collection showcases the Caribbean's most significant ensemble
of European medieval and renaissance works of art, and were
obtained in the 1950s. Their tapestry collection that dates to
the 15th to 17th centuries, is both significant and unique in
the Caribbean and contains pieces that were produced by the
Flemish Van Den Hecke family from cartouches that had been
previously done by Charles Le Brun. This is the most visited
museum in the country, sitting in a very impressive palace that
was built using coralline blocks that had held fifty rooms and
many gardens and courtyards; even though it is just half the
size it previously was. The magnificent building was constructed
by Diego Colon, the son of Christopher Columbus, after he had
become the Viceroy of La Espanola and the Indies in 1509,
ordering the construction of a family house and governor's
mansion between 1510 and 1512. In the early Spanish period, the
palace would be occupied by a very significant place in history,
since numerous expeditions of exploration and conquest were
planned. The palace was ransacked by Sir Francis Drake in 1586
and his troops, and as the influence of the island began to
wane, the house would fall into disrepair and by the mid-18th
century, it would be abandoned and in great danger of rotting
away. Between 1955 and 1957, it would be saved and completely
renovated.
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