Colonial City of Santo Domingo, Old town center in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

The Colonial City of Santo Domingo is the walled historic core on the west bank of the Ozama River, covering 1.06 km2 around the 16th-century Catedral de Santa María la Menor and Parque Colón. Its grid of cobblestone streets, including Calle Las Damas, the New World's oldest paved street, links the Alcázar de Colón, Fortaleza Ozama and the Museo de las Casas Reales.

Bartholomew Columbus founded the settlement in 1496 as the first permanent administrative center of the Spanish crown on the American continent. Later, fortifications and churches were added to secure the colony and expand religious presence.

Residents walk through streets that have kept the same shape for five centuries, while houses with inner courtyards built in the old Spanish style now serve as homes, shops and small hotels. Wooden balconies hang over the sidewalks and offer shade, as was common in colonial Caribbean towns.

The pedestrian zone Calle del Conde connects central points and makes it easier to find your way while walking through the paved lanes. Many buildings are open to visitors, while some streets become busier during weekends.

Some buildings show stone cannonballs lodged in the walls, left from pirate attacks in the 16th century and never removed. Calle de las Damas kept its name because court ladies used to walk there when the governors lived in the viceregal building.