On December 5, 1492, Christopher Columbus arrived on what is now the island of Ispaniola. Columbus' brother Bartolomé founded a town east of the Ozama River in 1496, which was the beginning of present-day Santo Domingo. (The town, however, was moved to the west side of the Ozama River in 1502.)
In 1509, Columbus' eldest son, Diego Colon, arrived as colonial governor. As his residence, the building was constructed over a four-year period beginning in 1510. The Columbus family resided there until probably the 1570s.
It was occupied and plundered by the English pirate Drake in 1586, and there was a lawsuit for its ownership, but after the decline of Santo Domingo, it was abandoned in the mid-18th century and became a ruin.
It has been restored since 1955 and is now used as a museum.
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Pop-up card : buildings in Santo Domingo (2023.04.30)
