Museo de las Casas Reales

This stone building went up in the sixteenth century to hold the Royal Court and the Governor's offices, which at the time meant the administration of Spain's entire Caribbean and much of its mainland claim, making it effectively the first seat of European government in the Americas. It was restored in the 1970s and filled with the colonial collections: armour and weapons in a long gallery, navigational instruments, maps showing the shape of the known world changing decade by decade, furnishings, and material recovered from wrecks including the Guadalupe and Tolosa, two ships lost in Samaná Bay in 1724. A sundial from 1753 stands outside, positioned so the governor could read the time from his window.

What you actually see

• The armoury - a long gallery of weapons and armour.
• The map room - the Americas being drawn as they were discovered.
• Wreck material - objects raised from ships lost in Samaná Bay.
• The 1753 sundial - outside, set for the governor's window.

When to go

November to April is the cooler dry season. Closed on Mondays. Mornings are quieter, before cruise groups reach this end of Calle Las Damas. Allow two hours for the full circuit.

Honest expectations

Labels are largely in Spanish and the interpretation is thin in places, so a guide adds a lot. Lighting is dim in some galleries. The building has closed for restoration periods in recent years. The collections are presented from a fairly traditional colonial perspective, with little on the indigenous population's fate.

Nearby

The Alcázar de Colón is at the top of the street; Fortaleza Ozama is at the bottom.