Taínos inhabited what is now the Dominican Republic since the 7th century. Christopher Columbus landed on it in 1492, and it became the site of the first permanent European settlement in the Americas, namely Santo Domingo, the countrys capital and Spains first capital in the New World Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands, along with Saint Martin, that are shared by two countries. Both by area and population, the Dominican Republic is the second largest Caribbean nation (after Cuba), with 48,442 square kilometres (18,704 sq mi) and an estimated 10 million people. Catedral de Santiago The Cathedral of Santiago was built in 1895 by Onofre de Lora, an architect native to the city. Hermanos Patiño Bridge The Hermanos Patiño Bridge is both the largest and oldest bridge in the city ... Catedral de Santiago The Cathedral of Santiago was built in 1895 by Onofre de Lora, an architect native to the city. Hermanos Patiño Bridge The Hermanos Patiño Bridge is both the largest and oldest bridge in the city connecting the North and South sides of the city of Santiago.[citation needed] Its construction was started by Rafael Leónidas Trujillo and inaugurated in 1962, one year after his death. The bridge is named after the five brothers that died in an effort to end Trujillos regime and dictatorship in the Dominican Republic in the mid 20th century. The anti-Trujillo legacy of the Patiño family did not begin with the brothers, but with their father who was killed in 1931 in the first anti-Trujillo insurrection of the Dominican Republic. Monument to the Heroes of the Restoration On a hill overlooking Santiago is a 67 meters (220 ft) high marble monument. Construction of the monument began in 1944 on the orders of then-dictator Rafael Trujillo. He named it the Trujillos Monument to Peace, and was designed by architect Henry Gazón Bona. Trujillo was assassinated in 1961, after which the monument was renamed the Monument to the Heroes of the Restoration, in remembrance of the Independence Restoration War of 1863, in which the Dominican Republic regained its independence from Spain.
Posted on: Sun, 02 Mar 2014 02:13:13 +0000