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Santo Domingo holds the distinction of being the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the Americas, founded in 1496 by Bartholomew Columbus. The Zona Colonial -- a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990 -- carries an astonishing density of firsts: the first cathedral in the Americas (Catedral Santa Maria la Menor, begun 1512), the first castle (the Alcazar de Colon, built for Diego Columbus, Christopher's son, and still standing above the Ozama River), the first university in the New World (Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo, 1538), and the oldest paved street (Calle Las Damas, named for the ladies of Diego Columbus's court).

The colonial core is compact enough to walk in an afternoon but rich enough to occupy several days.

The Fortaleza Ozama, the oldest military fort in the Americas, guards the mouth of the Ozama River. El Conde Gate opens onto a pedestrian street leading to the Parque Colon, anchored by a bronze statue of Christopher Columbus, finger extended toward the sea as though still pointing the way. The entire zone was renamed Ciudad Trujillo from 1936 to 1961 under the dictator Rafael Trujillo -- a renaming erased from official maps the moment he was assassinated.