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Alcázar de Colón
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HISTORIANS SAY THAT IT WAS THE COLON FAMILY'S ONLY KNOWN HOUSE BEFORE IT FELL INTO OBLIVION. IT WAS ALSO THE FIRST FORTIFIED MANSION IN AMERICA. THIS PALACE PRESENTLY STANDS OUT AS A MUST-VISIT MUSEUM IN THE HISTORY OF THIS REGION OF THE PLANET

When high noon sun beats down on you and sultry takes the old area of the city, you half-close your eyes due to the light and imagine Governor Diego Colon -viceroy of the Americas, first child of the Great Admiral that discover the Americas, and the man that built the Palace of Colon from 1511 to 1514- walking out of the huge stone stronghold.
The Palace, an incredibly big stone mass that originally featured 55 rooms, 22 of which have been preserved to date, was the first fortified palace ever built in America and it has been one of the key places in Santo Domingo ever since.
Despite time and its consequences, over the years the Palace has survived the fall of viceroys, corsair attacks, apathy and neglect, as well as the danger of being devoured by the expansion of an eclectic and colorful Caribbean capital, which sometimes becomes chaotic due to the noise and traffic, and it has gained a space in that haven of peace represented by the Colonial Area of Santo Domingo.
The mansion was built by Mr. Diego Colon in a plot of land given by King Fernando the Catholic for him to construct a house for his descendants on La Espanola Island, where he was sent in 1509 as the governor.
Built in barely three years (1511-1514), quite a short time if we take into account the size of the property and rudimentary construction techniques at the time, the Palace is an eclecticism of styles, from the gothic Mudejar of its rooms and internal areas to Renaissance arcades or Elizabethan tassels.
The building was constructed by using masonry of coral rocks, taken from nearby areas, and it was overlooking the access to Ozama River, since the rest of the city was built around this water source.
In spite of the magnificence of the 55 rooms included in the original design, there is nearly nothing left of them.
This situation is the outcome of the ups and downs in the history of this place, from the leading role played by the Colon family to the fall from grace suffered by the Admiral, or the later presence of other great conquerors like Hernan Cortes and Pedro de Alvarado.
People say that, despite Diego Colon's death in Spain in 1526, his widow Maria Alvarez de Toledo stayed at the Palace until she passed away in 1549. According to historians, two generations of the Colon family lived there through 1577 or so.
British corsair Francis Drake gave the first sword thrust by plundering the palace and the whole village in 1586, when the property was almost ruined.
Two centuries of constant decline came next, so the former luxurious palace where the Colon family lived its splendor almost became ruins.
In the 1950's, between 1955 and 1957, the Dominican government hired Spanish architect Javier Barroso to remodel it. This architect reconstructed most of the building and most of the pieces that are presently showcased at Colon Palace Museum were brought from other places, even from European museums.
Touring this place is like walking into the history of discoveries and conquests, intrigues and skirmishes, the dawn of an America that had been rediscovered by the Spaniards and everything was made with the splendor provided by the rivers of gold.
There are several legends and mysteries around the old mansion, some of which can be learned during the great audio-visit provided by the museum, and there are other that can only be discovered by asking the guides.
But if you still have some time left after walking through the rooms, just take a seat at some of the cafés around the Palace, order a glass of wine or a good Dominican rum, and half-close your eyes while the sun comes down.
Don't worry if your mind begins to fall into a hedonist fantasy of treasures and conquest. The same happened to the Colon family.