The First Cathedral in the New World
(Photo credit: Kate Lemler)
Our daughters Elizabeth and Natalia are on a balcony overlooking the plaza with a statue of Christopher Columbus in the colonial zone of Santo Domingo. Across the plaza is the Catedral Santa María La Menor, the first cathedral in the New World (Catedral Primada de América). It was completed in 1540 after 26 years of construction.
Santo Domingo is also the home to (among others) the first hospital, the first legislature, and the first university in the New World (the Universidad Autonomia de Santo Domingo). Commonly referred to as UASD, it is in its 471st year after opening in 1538.
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