Alcázar de Colón

Diego Colón, son of Christopher Columbus, arrived as governor in 1509 and built himself a residence on the bluff above the Ozama river, a two-storey block of coral limestone with deep arcaded loggias on both floors facing the water. It was built without a single nail, in a Gothic and Mudéjar manner brought straight from Spain, and it served as the seat of the colonial administration for sixty years before the family left and it slowly fell in. Restored in the twentieth century, it now holds a museum of late medieval and Renaissance furnishing, tapestry and painting assembled to show how such a house was lived in. The plaza in front of it, opening to the river, is the finest space in the colonial city.

History

The palace was built between 1511 and 1514 for Diego Columbus, governor and viceroy from 1509, after the design of a house at Mancera de Abajo near Salamanca, by an architect whose name is unknown; conquistadors such as Hernán Cortés and Pedro de Alvarado visited it, and many expeditions of conquest and exploration were planned here. Diego's children were born in the palace, his widow María Álvarez de Toledo lived on in it until her death in 1549, and three generations of the family stayed, possibly until 1577; in 1586 Sir Francis Drake's men looted it. Of its original 55 rooms only 22 remain: by the mid-18th century it stood abandoned, in 1870 it was declared a National Monument, and in 1955-1957 it was restored as a museum (Wikipedia, Alcázar de Colón).

Highlights

• The double loggias - arcaded galleries on both floors facing the river.
• The furnished rooms - late medieval and Renaissance pieces in period settings.
• Plaza España - the open square in front, looking down to the Ozama.
• Calle Las Damas - the oldest paved street in the Americas, running below.

When to go

November to April is the cooler dry season. Mornings are best, before the heat and before cruise groups arrive; the plaza in front is at its best in the evening when the city comes out to sit. The building closes on some weekdays, so check hours.

What to expect

The furnishings are a curated assemblage rather than the family's own possessions, which some visitors find disappointing once they realise it. The interior is compact and takes about an hour. The surrounding plaza is heavily touted by guides and vendors, and the restaurants along its edge are priced for tourists.

Nearby

The first cathedral of the Americas is five minutes away; the Ozama fortress is below.

Key facts