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El Faro a Colón |
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Contact
Information
Location: Av. aña (on the water side of Los Tres Ojos, near the
airport in the Sans Souci district)
Phone 809/591-1492
Hours:
Tues-Sun 9am-5:30pm
Prices: Admission RD$20 (U.S.$1.25) adults, RD$5 (U.S.30¢)
children age 11 and under
Built in the shape of a cross, the towering 688-foot-tall El Faro a Colón monument is both a sightseeing attraction and a cultural center. In the heart of the structure is a chapel containing the Columbus tomb, and, some say, his mortal remains. The "bones" of Columbus were moved here from the Cathedral of Santa María la Menor. (Other locations, including the Cathedral of Seville, also claim to possess the explorer's remains.) The most outstanding and unique feature is the lighting system composed of 149 searchlights and a 70-kilowatt beam that circles out for nearly 44 miles. When illuminated, the lights project a gigantic cross in the sky that can be seen as far away as Puerto Rico.
Although the concept of the memorial is 140 years old, the first stones were not laid until 1986, following the design submitted in 1929 by J. L. Gleave, the winner of the worldwide contest held to choose the architect. The monumental lighthouse was inaugurated on October 6, 1992, the day Columbus's "remains" were transferred from the cathedral.
The Columbus Navigation Homepage
Back in Santo Domingo, the source of beams projecting the celestial
cross is the "Faro a Colon." When it was completed six years
ago, critics saw the 10-story-high, cross-shaped structure as a monument
to the megalomania of then-President Joaquin Balaguer.
One recent afternoon, only a few tourists were on hand to gawk at the
building, whose front is engraved with words that inspired Columbus, such
as Aristotle's assertion that between Spain and India "lies a narrow
sea that can be crossed in a few days."
The Columbus
Monuments Page
by Peter van der Krogt.
Where was Columbus's first landing place in the New World? Visit the Columbus Landfall Homepage.
Indios Tainos on
Santo Domingo's Malecon (waterfront Boulevard) for
Carnaval in 2002 & 510 years of history
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In his own words First Voyage Report |
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"On the thirty-third day after I departed from Cadiz, I came to the Indian sea, where I found many islands inhabited by men without number, of all which I took possession for our most fortunate king, with proclaiming heralds and flying standards, no one objecting." |
| "In the one which was called Hispana, as we said above, there are great and beautiful mountains, vast fields, groves, fertile plains, very suitable for planting and cultivating, and for the building of houses. The convenience of the harbors in this island, and the remarkable number of rivers contributing to the healthfulness of man, exceed belief, unless one has seen them. The trees, pasturage, and fruits of this island differ greatly from those of Juana. This Hispana, moreover, abounds in different kinds of spices, in gold, and in metals. On this island, indeed, and on all the others which I have seen, and of which I have knowledge, the inhabitants of both sexes go always naked, just as they came into the world, except some of the women, |
| "And these men were the first who announced it wherever we landed, continually proclaiming to the others in a loud voice, "Come, come, and you will see the celestial people." Whereupon both women and men, both young men and old men, laying aside the fear caused a little before, visited us eagerly, filling the road with a great crowd, some bringing food, and some drink, with great love and extraordinary goodwill. |
| &"For if anyone has written or said anything about these islands, it was all with obscurities and conjectures; no one claims that he had seen them; from which they seemed like fables. Therefore let the king and queen, the princes and their most fortunate kingdoms, and all other countries of Christendom give thanks to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who has bestowed upon us so great a victory and gift. Let religious processions be solemnized; let sacred festivals be given; let the churches be covered with festive garlands. Let Christ rejoice on earth, as he rejoices in heaven, when he foresees coming to salvation so many souls of people hitherto lost. |
| Christopher Columbus, br> Admiral of the Ocean Fleet. |
| Concerning
the Islands Recently Discovered in the Indian Sea LLisbon, the day before the Ides of March 1493 |
Columbus Lighthouse
"the pageant surrounding the annual Carnival and Independence
Day celebrations contains the real history of Hipaniola"
