Museo de las Casas Reales
The Museo de las Casas Reales is a historic building in Santo Domingo , the capital of the Dominican Republic . Translated, the name means Museum of Royal Houses. The name refers to the fact that the building originally housed two institutions:
- the Royal Audience ( Real Audiencia )
- the palace of the governor or the captain-general
Today it is a museum that covers the history of the Dominican Republic between 1492 and 1821. This period corresponds to the colonial period of Spain on the island of Hispaniola .
It is a cultural monument. Its importance was formally confirmed when it was placed under protection as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Zona Colonial of Santo Domingo. It is within sight of the Alcázar de Colón above the Río Ozama .
history
The building was built in 1511 under the Spanish King Ferdinand II , two years after Diego Columbus (Diego Colón), son of the explorer Christopher Columbus , was appointed governor of Santo Domingo by the king . Half of the building is dedicated to the governor. In order to limit the governor's power, the Real Audiencia was created. She resided in the other part of the building. This royal audience was a very powerful organization which, among other things, played a role in the establishment of slavery by becoming a powerful lobby of the big landowners.
Already 40 years after its founding, the city of Santo Domingo and with it the island of Hispaniola had lost their importance again from the perspective of the colonial rulers Spain: The initial gold discoveries proved to be unproductive. The gold and silver spoil that could be made in Mexico and Peru meant that their own captain-generals were appointed there. Accordingly, the building enjoys general interest primarily as a testimony to this early period of colonialism.
architecture
The white stone or clay from which the building is made is striking. The facade works practically without any color. There are hardly any living forms. This creates a very simple impression. The inner courtyards, on the other hand, appear much friendlier. They are planted and are often used for parties and events. The ornamental details of the architecture that can be found there can be assigned to the Isabelline and Plateresque styles .
The building has been modernized several times:
- 1807 by Louis Ferrand
- 1905 by Carlos Felipe Morales
- once again by the dictator Trujillo
Accordingly, not every detail reflects the original architecture.
exhibition
While the building is primarily a testimony to the first five decades of the 16th century, the museum is dedicated to the entire colonial era of Santo Domingo up to the breakaway from motherland Spain in 1821 through a revolution in the French-speaking western part of the island, today's Haiti .
The following topics are considered - mostly in a dedicated space:
- Discovery of America in 1492
- Spanish conquest of Hispaniola
- Christianization of the slaves and the few surviving Indians
- Piracy and smuggling
- Economy (sugar, rum, tobacco)
- Santa Barbara
- pharmacy
- History of ceramics
- Family life
- Transport and traffic
- Weapons and military
- fiscal accounting
- Jurisprudence
- protocol
- Hearing room ( Salón del Oídor Principal; with waiting room)
- Captain-General's Hall (with anteroom)
In contrast to the rather low level of detail of most topics, 51 substances are considered when considering pharmaceutically relevant substances.
Web links
Coordinates: 18 ° 28 '33 " N , 69 ° 52' 58" W.