Santo Domingo
—  City  —
Santo Domingo de Guzmán
Clockwise from the upper left: skyline of Santo Domingo; Fortaleza Ozama; Malecón Center; Supreme Court of Justice; Acrópolis Center; Anacaona Avenue; the Cathedral of Santa María; the National Palace.
Coat of arms
Motto: Ciudad Primada de América (First City of America)
Santo Domingo Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic
Coordinates: 18°30′0″N 69°59′0″W / 18.5°N 69.983333°W / 18.5; -69.983333Coordinates: 18°30′0″N 69°59′0″W / 18.5°N 69.983333°W / 18.5; -69.983333
Country	Dominican Republic
Province	National District
Founded	1496
Founder	Bartholomew Columbus
Government
• Mayor	Roberto Salcedo
Area[1]
• Total	104.44 km2 (40.32 sq mi)
• Metro	1,400.79 km2 (540.85 sq mi)
Elevation[2]	14 m (46 ft)
Population (2010)
• Total	1,484,789
• Density	14,216.6/km2 (36,821/sq mi)
• Urban	2,552,398
• Metro	3,712,391
• Gentilic	Capitaleño/a
Postal Code(s)	10100 to 10699 Distrito Nacional, 10700 to 11999 Santo Domingo
Website	Ayuntamiento del Distrito Nacional

Santo Domingo, known officially as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic. Its metropolitan population was 2,084,852 in 2003, and estimated at 3,712,391 in 2010.^[3] The city is located on the Caribbean Sea, at the mouth of the Ozama River. Founded by Bartholomew Columbus in 1496, it is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the Americas, and was the first seat of Spanish colonial rule in the New World. It lies within the boundaries of the Distrito Nacional (D.N.; "National District"), itself bordered on three sides by Santo Domingo Province.

Santo Domingo was called "Ciudad Trujillo", from 1930 to 1961, after the Dominican Republic's dictator, Rafael Trujillo, named the capital after himself. Following his assassination, the city resumed its original designation. Today, Santo Domingo is the Dominican Republic's major metropolis, and is the largest city in the Caribbean by population.^{[citation needed]} Santo Domingo is ranked as a Gamma world city by Loughborough University.

Please note: When this article refers to Santo Domingo it is most likely referring to the Greater Santo Domingo Area (Distrito Nacional plus Santo Domingo Province). In some cases it may state "D.N.", which strictly refers to the city proper, i.e., excluding the surrounding province of Santo Domingo.

History[link]

Fortaleza Ozama, one of the historic buildings in Santo Domingo

Alcázar de Colón, in the historic center of Santo Domingo's Zona Colonial

Before the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492, the Taíno people populated the island which they called Quisqueya (mother of all lands) and Ayiti (land of high mountains), and which Columbus named Hispaniola, including the territory of today's Republic of Haiti. At the time, the island's territory consisted of five chiefdoms: Marién, Maguá, Maguana, Jaragua, and Higüey. These were ruled respectively by caciques (chiefs) Guacanagarix, Guarionex, Caonabo, Bohechío, and Cayacoa.

Dating to 1496, when the Spanish settled there, and officially to 5 August 1498, Santo Domingo is the oldest European city in America. Bartholomew Columbus founded the settlement and named it La Nueva Isabela, after an earlier settlement in the north named after the Queen of Spain Isabella I. It was later^[when?] renamed "Santo Domingo", in honor of Saint Dominic. Santo Domingo came to be known as the "Gateway to the Caribbean".

Santo Domingo was destroyed by a hurricane in 1502, and the new Governor Nicolás de Ovando had it rebuilt on a different site on the other side of the Ozama River.^[4] The original layout of the city and a large portion of its defensive wall can still be appreciated today throughout the Colonial Zone, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1990. The Colonial Zone, bordered by the Río Ozama, also has an impressive collection of 16th century buildings, including palatial houses and majestic churches that reflect the architectural style of the late medieval period.

The city's most important colonial buildings include the Catedral Santa María La Menor, called La Catedral Primada de América, America's First Cathedral, which states its distinction; the Alcázar de Colón, America's first castle, once the residence of Viceroy of the Indies Don Diego Colón, a son of Christopher Columbus; the Monasterio de San Francisco, the ruins of the first monastery in America; the Museo de las Casas Reales, in a monumental complex that includes the former Palace of the Governors and the building of the former Royal Audiencia of Santo Domingo; the Fortaleza Ozama, the oldest fortress in America; the Pantéon Nacional, a former Jesuit edifice now hosting the remains of various renowned Dominicans; and the Dominican Convent, the first convent in America.

Throughout its first century, Santo Domingo was the launching pad for much of the exploration and conquest of the New World.^{[citation needed]} The expeditions that led to Ponce de Leon's colonization of Puerto Rico, Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar's colonization of Cuba, Hernando Cortes' conquest of Mexico, and Vasco Núñez de Balboa's sighting of the Pacific Ocean all started from Santo Domingo.^{[citation needed]}

In 1586, Francis Drake captured the city, which he held for ransom.^[5] Drake's invasion signaled the decline of Spanish dominion over Hispaniola, which was accentuated in the early 17th century by policies that resulted in the depopulation of most of the island outside of the capital. An expedition sent by Oliver Cromwell in 1655 attacked the city of Santo Domingo, but was defeated. It withdrew and took Jamaica, instead.^[6] In 1697, the Treaty of Ryswick included the acknowledgement by Spain of France's dominion over the Western third of the island, now Haiti.

From 1795 to 1822 the city changed hands several times along with the colony it headed. It was ceded to France in 1795, captured by rebellious Haitian slaves in 1801, recovered by France in 1802, recovered by Spain in 1809. In 1821 Santo Domingo became the capital of an independent nation, Haití Español. This was two months later conquered by Haiti. The city and the colony lost much of their Spanish population as a result of these events.^[5][7][8]

Santo Domingo was again the capital of a free nation, when Dominicans gained their independence from Haitian rule on February 27, 1844 led by their national hero Juan Pablo Duarte. The city was a prize fought over by various political factions over the succeeding decades of instability. In addition, the country had to fight multiple battles with Haiti; the Battle of March 19, Battle of March 30, Battle of Las Carreras, and Battle of Beler, are a few of the most prominent encounters, mentioned in the national anthem and with city streets named after them.^[9] In 1861 Spain returned to the country, having struck a bargain with Dominican leader Pedro Santana whereby the latter was granted several honorific titles and privileges, in exchange for annexing the young nation back to Spanish rule. The Dominican Restoration War began in 1863 however, and in 1865 the country was free again after Spain withdrew.

Over the next two-thirds of a century Santo Domingo and the Dominican Republic went through many revolutions, power changes, and occupation by the United States, 1916–24. The city was struck by hurricane San Zenón in 1930, which caused major damage. After its rebuilding, Santo Domingo was known officially as Ciudad Trujillo in honor of dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo, who governed from 1930. Following his assassination in 1961 the city was renamed back to Santo Domingo. It was the scene of street fighting during the 1965 United States occupation of the Dominican Republic.

The year 1992 marked the 500th anniversary, El Quinto Centenario, of Christopher Columbus' Discovery of America. The Columbus Lighthouse – Faro a Colón – with an approximate cost of 400 million Dominican pesos, was erected in Santo Domingo in honor of this occasion.^[10]

Geography[link]

View of Santo Domingo from space

Santo Domingo de Guzmán (DN) and the municipality of Santo Domingo Este (in S.D. Province) are separated by the Ozama River.

The Ozama river flows 148 kilometers before emptying into the Caribbean Sea. Santo Domingo's position on its banks was of great importance to the city's economic development and the growth of trade during colonial times. The Ozama River is where the country's busiest port is located.

Metropolitan Santo Domingo is divided into four municipalities, mostly for administrative reasons. They consist of Santo Domingo de Guzmán National District and three municipal divisions of Santo Domingo Province: Santo Domingo Norte (Villa Mella Municipal District, etc.), Santo Domingo Este (San Isidro Municipal District, etc.), and Santo Domingo Oeste. These three border Santo Domingo de Guzmán on the north, east, and west, respectively. Bajos de Haina, in San Cristóbal Province, borders Santo Domingo Oeste, in the west. The Ozama River and Isabella end at the Center of Santo Domingo.^{[clarification needed]} Santo Domingo is relatively low in altitude, but has several high hills.

Climate[link]

The average temperature in Santo Domingo varies little, because the tropical trade winds help mitigate the heat and humidity throughout the year. Thanks to these trade winds, Santo Domingo has a tropical climate but seldom experiences the oppressive heat and humidity that one may expect to find. December and January are the coolest months and July and August are the warmest. Santo Domingo averages 1,445 millimetres (56.9 in) of rain annually. Its driest months are from January through April, however, due to the trade winds and mountains to the southwest, rain is seen even during these months. Because its driest month is just below 60 millimetres (2.4 in), Santo Domingo falls under the tropical monsoon climate category under the Köppen climate classification. Like many other nations in the Caribbean, Santo Domingo is very susceptible to hurricanes. The lowest recorded temperature has been 13 °C (55 °F) and the highest 37 °C (99 °F).

Economic development[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

The city is the center of economic activity in the Dominican Republic. Many national and international firms have their headquarters or regional offices in Santo Domingo. The city attracts many international firms and franchises due to its geographic location, stability, and vibrant economy.

The infrastructure is adequate for most business operations; however, power outages continue to be a problem in certain parts of the city. A key element that has helped the city thrive and compete globally is the telecommunications infrastructure. For many years the Dominican Republic has enjoyed a modern and state of the art telecommunications system, due to its privatization and integration with the US system.

Santo Domingo contains a wide variety of incomes, ranging from the extremely poor to the highly rich. Areas of high income families are found in the central Polygon of the city, which is bordered by the Avenida John F. Kennedy ("Avenida" = "Avenue") to the north, Avenida 27 de Febrero to the south, Avenida Winston Churchill to the west and Avenida Máximo Gómez to the east, and is characterized by its mostly residential area and its distinguished nightlife.

Av. 27 de Febrero / Churchill

Santo Domingo has areas of high development, among them Naco, Arroyo Hondo, Piantini, Paraíso, Las Praderas, Los Prados, Bella Vista, Sarasota and other neighborhoods, which mostly consist of costly buildings and luxury houses, contrasting with the outskirts of the city like Gualey and Capotillo which are less economically developed.

Bella Vista and La Esperilla are currently the neighborhoods with the highest income growth and with tall mega-projects marking the city skyline. Gazcue belongs to the more traditional southeastern area of the city and is characterized by its slightly older constructions, dating from the 1930s to the 1960s.

The commercial centers in the city are mostly found on Avenida Winston Churchill, where large plazas, such as Acropolis Center, and large supermarkets are found. This area is home to most of the banks in the city, like Banco Popular Dominicano, Scotiabank, Citibank, Banco BHD, Banco del Progreso, and BanReservas, to name a few. 27 de Febrero Avenue is very commercially successful and is considered the most important crosstown avenue in the city. The oldest mall plazas in the country are Plaza Central and Plaza Naco, which served as the first commercial center in the city, until the recent construction of others, which quickly became new alternatives. Bella Vista Mall and the Acropolis Center are two of the newest malls built in the city, attracting many of the high income families.

Most of the city's poor live outside the center. Some live in extreme conditions of poverty and in slums, intensifying the city's economic contrast.

Panoramic view of Santo Domingo showing some extensive construction

Government and politics[link]

The National Palace, in Santo Domingo

Santo Domingo is the center of the national government of the Dominican Republic. The President's office and ministries, National Congress, Supreme Court of Justice, and other main government institutions are located in the metropolitan area.

The city is administered by the Ayuntamiento del Distrito Nacional (City Hall), which is responsible for municipal functions. The current mayor of Santo Domingo is Roberto Esmérito Salcedo, of the governing Dominican Liberation Party.

The "Policía Nacional" (National Police) and "Policia Turística" (Tourist Police) (POLITUR) are tasked with enforcing city safety.

Landmarks[link]

Catedral Santa María La Menor, is the first cathedral built in the Americas

Many of Santo Domingo's most notable landmarks are located within the Zona Colonial district of the city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990. These include the Catedral Santa María La Menor (Catedral Primada de América), the Alcázar de Colón, the Casas Reales, National Pantheon, and the city's colonial fortifications. Just outside the fortifications's Puerta del Conde is the Altar de la Patria, a monument to the heroes of the country's independence in 1844.

Outside of the Ciudad Colonial, the Malecón (seawall) is a vibrant commercial and touristic area, marked by major hotels and several Trujillo-era monuments including a large obelisk located at the eastern end of George Washington Avenue.

Other places of cultural interest are Plaza de la Cultura, which houses the city's most important cultural venues, including the Teatro Nacional (National Theater) and various museums; the Palacio Nacional, which houses the Presidency of the Dominican Republic; the Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts), a neoclassical building that is the permanent home of the country's National Symphony Orchestra; and the Boulevard 27 de Febrero, a pedestrian promenade located on the busy Avenida 27 de Febrero, which displays works of art from prominent Dominican artists and sculptors.

Another attraction is the Centro Olímpico Juan Pablo Duarte, a sports complex in the center of Santo Domingo. This complex was used during the 2003 Pan American Games.

Museums[link]

Santo Domingo is the location of numerous museums, many of which are located in the Zona Colonial district.^[10]

In the Zona Colonial:

• Museum of Alcázar, in Diego Colon's restored palace
• Museum of the Casas Reales, with artefacts of the colonial period and a collection of ancient weapons donated by Trujillo
• Naval Museum of the Atarazanas, in the former naval yards
• Museo de la Catedral
• Museo Memorial de la Resistencia Dominicana, documenting the struggle for freedom during the regimes of Trujillo and Balaguer
• Museo Duarte, dedicated to the hero of Dominican independence
• World of Ambar Museum

In the Plaza de la Cultura:

• Museum of the Dominican Man, with artefacts from the pre-Columbian Taino civilization
• National Museum of History and Geography
• Museum of Natural History
• Museum of Modern Art

Other museums:

• Museo Bellapart, a prominent private collection of 19th- and 20th-Century Dominican painting and sculpture
• Museo Prehispanico, a major private collection of pre-Columbian Taino art hosted in a Pepsi bottling factory

Parks and recreational areas[link]

See Also: Santo Domingo Greenbelt

Santo Domingo has various parks, three of which are called Miradores and are located in the north, south, and east sections of the city. Even though these parks are relatively big, Santo Domingo still lacks enough recreational areas. Santo Domingo (D.N) is surrounded by the Santo Domingo Greenbelt.

Parque Colón in the Colonial city.

• Mirador Norte Park, lies in the north of the city, close to Villa Mella
• Enriquillo Park
• Mirador Sur Park, located in the southwest section of the city
• Independencia Park, located in Zona Colonial
• Colón Park, located in Zona Colonial
• Las Praderas Metropolitan Park
• El Malecón, cityfront coastal park
• Dr. Rafael Ma. Moscoso National Botanical Garden (Jardín Botanico Nacional)
• Dominican Republic National Zoo
• Barrio Chino (Chinatown)
• Parque Nuñez de Caceres

Commerce[link]

Santo Domingo is the location of numerous shopping malls, including:

• Acropolis Center Mall
• Bella Vista Mall
• Blue Mall
• Diamond Mall
• Malecon Center Mall
• Megacentro
• Plaza Central
• Plaza Las Americas
• Plaza Naco
• Plaza Galerias de Naco
• Novocentro
• Sambil Santo Domingo Mall (under construction)
• Agora Mall (under construction)
• Silver Sun Gallery Mall (under construction)
• Galerias 360 Mall (under construction)
• Megacentro
• Plaza Andalucia
• Plaza Paseo de la Churchill
• Plaza Cataluña

Transportation[link]

Informal[link]

Santo Domingo is provided with a variety of informal transportation systems. These include motoconchos (motorcycle taxis), guaguas/voladoras (public buses that are known for their generally bad conditions and the drivers' reckless driving), and carros publicos/conchos (shared taxis that stop at certain intervals or wherever there are passengers on a street). There are however several bus services, such as the government owned and operated OMSA, which has a fleet of air conditioned buses with regular stops. OMSA operates long routes that traverse the metro area and are very popular with poor and middle class people. Efforts are being made to modernize the fleet and to complement the new subway system. However, due to the long hours of operation, long routes and high demand, coupled with high parts costs, these buses' lifespans are usually less than ten years.

Highways[link]

Santo Domingo is the terminus for four of the five national highways. The city is connected with the southwest of the republic by the national highway DR-2 (Avenida George Washington and Autopista 30 de Mayo), and with the cities of the country's northwest by DR-1 (Expreso Kennedy, Corredor Duarte), which serves as a direct link to the city of Santiago de los Caballeros. DR-3 (Expreso 27 de Febrero/Autopista de Las Américas) connects Santo Domingo directly to the east of the country, including the cities of San Pedro de Macoris, La Romana, and major tourist sites like Punta Cana and Bavaro, and to the Samaná Province (in the northeast) via the Samana Highway.

Rail[link]

The Santo Domingo Metro's Alstom Metropolis 9000 trains

The Santo Domingo Metro is a 15 km underground and elevated system consisting of six proposed lines. The first line begins elevated at Villa Mella (in Santo Domingo Norte)—located north of the Isabela River and north of the city center—and ends at Centro de los Héroes on the southern coast of Santo Domingo, near the seawall district (Malecón). Some of the stops on the first line are the Teatro Nacional, the main campus of the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD; Autonomous University of Santo Domingo) and Avenida Lincoln. The first line is already in service.

The second line, currently under construction, is said to run in an east-west direction beneath Expreso Kennedy, crossing the first line at Maximo Gómez Avenue. The third line will also run in an east-west direction, beneath Expreso 27 de Febrero.^{[citation needed]}

Airports[link]

• Las Américas International Airport

Las Américas International Airport's Terminal A and B

Santo Domingo is served by two international airports, the main one being Las Américas International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional de las Americas Dr. José Francisco Peña Gómez). The airport has two terminals; the newer one, just completed in 2006, added five more gates on the northern end of the facility. As of 2010, the airport handled over 3.4 million passengers per year.^[13] Las Américas is located in Punta Caucedo, 15 kilometers east of the National District on DR-3. It is serviced by such airlines as majors Delta Air Lines, Iberia, Air France and Cubana de Aviacion. as well as smaller ones like Sunrise Airways.

• La Isabela International Airport

The Aeropuerto Internacional La Isabela is a secondary, newly constructed airport located in the northern section of the city, within kilometres of the city center. It is not currently used as a major international airport, servicing mostly domestic and charter flights. It was built to replace the obsolete Herrera Airport, which was considered by many too dangerous due to the proximity to commercial and residential areas. Many pilots also cited the length of the runway as inadequate for most private jets. La Isabela Airport is also conveniently located just on the outskirts of the city and most of the internal flights of the country can be carried out here; flights to the north of the island (for example, to Samaná) can be booked here with such airlines as Air Century, Sunrise Airways, Caribair and Aerodomca.

Ports[link]

• Port of Santo Domingo: Sans Souci

The Port of Santo Domingo is located on the Ozama River. Its location at the center of the Caribbean is well suited for flexible itinerary planning and has excellent support, road and airport infrastructure within the Santo Domingo region, which facilitate access and transfers. The port is suitable for both turnaround and transit calls.

The port's renovation is part of a major redevelopment project, aimed at integrating the port area and the Zona Colonial and foster a cruise, yacht, and high-end tourism destination. Supported by legislation approved in 2005, the project, developed by the Sans Souci Group, also includes the development of a new sports marina and a 122-acre (0.49 km²) mixed-leisure real estate development adjacent to the port.

Communication[link]

Television[link]

There are 15 television stations (both UHF and VHF) in Santo Domingo. Santo Domingo has the greatest number of television signals in the country, followed by Santiago.

Additional cable television channels are provided by companies like Aster, Cable TV Dominicana, SKY Dominicana, and Telecable.

High Definition Channels:

• Telemicro HD
• Enjoy HD

VHF (channel number in parentheses):

• Tele Antillas (2)
• CERTV (4)
• Telemicro (5)
• Antena Latina (7)
• Color Visión (9)
• Telesistema (11)
• Telecentro (13)

UHF:

• Digital 15 (15)
• Telefuturo (23)
• RNN (27)
• Supercanal (33)
• CDN (37)
• Coral 39 (39)
• Teleradio América (canal 45)
• Santo Domingo TV (canal 69)

Radio[link]

In Santo Domingo there are 100 different stations in AM frequency and 44 in FM frequency.

Telephone services[link]

CODETEL (Compañía Dominicana de Teléfonos) was originally the provider of telephone service in the Dominican Republic since the 1940s. The company was later bought by GTE (later Verizon). By 2004 the company was named Verizon Dominicana and was later sold to América Móvil; it was named CODETEL again, as a marketing strategy. The company uses the name Claro GSM/CDMA for its cellular phone division. The second landline competitor is Tricom, which is a minor competitor, Codetel being the dominant service provider in the country. Other mobile providers include Tricom CDMA, Viva CDMA/GSM, and Orange GSM, the last and Claro having the majority of the mobile phone service provider market.

The national area codes are 809 and 829. In 2005 the 829 area code was made an overlay of 809, due to the increase of fax, internet, mobile, and ground lines in the last decade. The Dominican Republic uses +1-809-XXX-XXXX, +1-829-XXX-XXXX, and +1-849-XXX-XXXX as the official format for telephone numbers.

In late May 2009, INDOTEL raised and adapted the idea of introducing a new area code (849), with the purpose of increasing the availability of more line numbers in the country. INDOTEL said they will launch a new television campaign to promote the new code.

Internet[link]

.do is the internet code for The Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic has an estimated 2,000,000 internet users.

Education[link]

There are eighteen universities in Santo Domingo, the highest number of any city in the Dominican Republic. Established in 1538, the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD) is the oldest university in the Americas and is also the only public university in the city. Santo Domingo holds the nation's highest percentage of residents with a higher education degree.^{[citation needed]}

Aula Magna at night, Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD)

• Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD)
• Universidad Adventista Dominicana (UNAD)
• Universidad APEC (UNAPEC)
• Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC)
• Universidad del Caribe (UNICARIBE)
• Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE) (UNIBE)
• Universidad Católica Santo Domingo (UCSD)
• Universidad de la Tercera Edad (UTE)
• Universidad Tecnológica de Santiago (UTESA)
• Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña (UNPHU)
• Instituto de Ciencias Exactas (INCE)
• Universidad Organización y Método (O&M)
• Universidad Interamericana (UNICA)
• Universidad Eugenio María de Hostos (UNIREMOS)
• Universidad Francisco Henríquez y Carvajal (UFHEC)
• Universidad Instituto Cultural Domínico Americano (UNICDA)
• Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM)
• Instituto Tecnológico de las Americas (ITLA)
• Universidad de Psicologia Industrial Dominicana (UPID)

Photo gallery[link]

• MaleconG.jpg

  El Malecon, Santo Domingo's waterfront

• Santo Domingo 15.jpg

  Santo Domingo's modern architecture

• 

  La Esperilla in central Santo Domingo

• 

  Town houses in Ciudad Colonial

• Santo Domingo 13.jpg

  John F. Kennedy Avenue, Santo Domingo

• SD Noche 2.jpg

  Santo Domingo at night

• 

  17th century buildings in Ciudad Colonial

• Avenida Anacaona.jpg

  Anacaona Avenue in Santo Domingo. Mirador del Sur park

• BellaVistamall.jpg

  Bella Vista Mall, one of the many modern shopping centers

• Downtown Santo Domingo1.jpg

  Downtown Santo Domingo

• 

  Alcázar de Colón

Sister cities[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2009)

Santo Domingo has three sister cities designated by Sister Cities International:^[14]

Santo Domingo also has twinning agreements with the following sister cities:

Notable residents[link]

This section requires expansion with: People who are not baseball players, and notable female residents.

• Moisés Alou – former Major League Baseball outfielder
• José Bautista - Major League Baseball outfielder/infielder
• Adrián Beltré – Major League Baseball infielder
• Milagros Cabral – volleyball player in the Korea League
• Melky Cabrera – Major League Baseball outfielder
• Francisco Cordero – Major League Baseball pitcher
• Enrique Cruz – former Major League Baseball infielder
• Francisco García – National Basketball Association (NBA) player
• Juan Luis Guerra – singer, composer
• Julio Iglesias – Spanish singer, composer, developer of PUNTACANA Resort and Club
• D'Angelo Jimenez – Major League Baseball infielder
• Rafael Landestoy – Major League Baseball infielder
• Michael Martínez - Major League Baseball infielder
• Pedro Martínez – Major League Baseball pitcher
• Michel Camilo – jazz pianist, composer
• David Ortiz – Major League Baseball player
• Olivia Peguero - Landscape and botanical artist
• Carlos Peña – Major League Baseball infielder
• Roberto Peña – former Major League Baseball infielder
• Santiago Perez – Major League Baseball player
• Albert Pujols – Major League Baseball infielder
• Aramis Ramirez – Major League Baseball infielder
• Manny Ramírez – Major League Baseball outfielder
• Oscar de la Renta – fashion designer, developer of PUNTACANA Resort and Club
• Ángel Salomé – Major League Baseball catcher
• Sammy Sosa – former Major League Baseball outfielder
• William Suero – Major League Baseball infielder
• Jose Veras – Major League Baseball pitcher
• Edinson Volquez – Major League Baseball pitcher
• Wilfrido Vargas – merengue singer
• Félix Sánchez - 400m hurdles Olympic champion
• Aumi Guerra - Bowling World Cup Champion (2010)
• Dany Alcantara - Destacado Periodista

See also[link]

	Dominican Republic portal
	New Spain portal

• List of cities in the Caribbean

References[link]

• Meinig, D.W. (1986). The Shaping of America: a Geographic Perspective on 500 Years of History. Volume I - Atlantic America, 1492-1800. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-03882-8
• Santo Domingo; Fragmentos De Patria by Banreservas ISBN 99934-898-9-5

External links[link]

• La Capital: Ciudad Trujillo in the 1940s
• Dominican Explorer/Dominican Republic Travel Guide
• Dominican Republic Weather Information
• Fly Dominican Republic/Dominican Republic Pilots Guide
• Guide to Santo Domingo's Zona Colonial

Media related to Santo Domingo at Wikimedia Commons

v t e Provincial capitals of the Dominican Republic Azua Baní Barahona Bonao Comendador Cotuí Dajabón El Seibo Hato Mayor Higüey Jimaní La Romana La Vega Mao Moca Monte Cristi Monte Plata Nagua Neiba Pedernales Puerto Plata Sabaneta Salcedo Samaná San Cristóbal San Francisco de Macorís San José de Ocoa San Juan de la Maguana San Pedro de Macorís Santiago de los Caballeros Santo Domingo Santo Domingo Este

Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta
Santo's mask
Ring name(s)	Santo (Saint) El Santo (The Saint) Santo, el Enmascarado de Plata (Saint, the Silver Masked Man) Rudy Guzmán El Hombre Rojo (The Red Man) El Demonio Negro (The Black Demon) El Murcielago II (The Bat II)
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight	210 lb (95 kg)
Born	01917-09-23September 23, 1917 Tulancingo, Hidalgo, Mexico
Died	February 5, 1984(1984-02-05) (aged 66)
Debut	1934 or 1935
Retired	01982-09-12September 12, 1982

Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta (September 23, 1917 – February 5, 1984), more widely known as El Santo (the Saint), was a Mexican Luchador enmascarado (Spanish for masked professional wrestler), film actor, and folk icon. El Santo, along with Blue Demon and Mil Máscaras, is one of the most famous and iconic of all Mexican luchadores, and has been referred to as one of "the greatest legends in Mexican sports"^[1][2][3] His wrestling career spanned nearly five decades, during which he became a folk hero and a symbol of justice for the common man through his appearances in comic books and movies. He is said to have popularized professional wrestling in Mexico just as Rikidozan did in Japan.^[3] Guzmán's son followed him into wrestling as El Hijo del Santo, or 'Son of Santo'.

Biography[link]

Born in Tulancingo in the Mexican state of Hidalgo, to Jesús Guzmán Campuzano and Josefina Huerta (Márquez) de Guzmán as the fifth of seven children, Rodolfo came to Mexico City in the 1920s, where his family settled in the Tepito neighbourhood.^[2][3] He practiced baseball and American football, and then became interested in wrestling. He first learned Ju-Jitsu, then classical wrestling.^[4]

Pro wrestling career[link]

Accounts vary as to exactly when and where he first wrestled competitively, either in Arena Peralvillo Cozumel on 28 June 1934, or Deportivo Islas in the Guerrero colony of Mexico City in 1935, but by the second half of the 1930s, he was established as a wrestler, using the names Rudy Guzmán, El Hombre Rojo (the Red Man), El Demonio Negro (The Black Demon) and El Murcielago II (The Bat II). The last name was a rip-off of the name of a famous wrestler Jesus Velazquez named "El Murcielago" (The Bat), and after an appeal by the Bat to the Mexican boxing and wrestling commission, the regulatory body ruled that Guzmán could not use the name.^[3]

El Santo[link]

In the early 1940s, Guzmán married María de los Ángeles Rodríguez Montaño (Maruca), a union that would produce 10 children; their names were Alejandro, María de los Ángeles, Héctor Rodolfo, Blanca Lilia, Víctor Manuel, Miguel Ángel, Silvia Yolanda, María de Lourdes, Mercedes, and the youngest child Jorge, who also became a famous wrestler in his own right, El Hijo del Santo (Son of Santo).^[3] In 1942, Rodolfo's manager, Don Jesús Lomelí, was putting together a new team of wrestlers, all dressed in silver, and wanted Rodolfo to be a part of it. He suggested three names, El Santo (The Saint), El Diablo (The Devil), or El Angel (The Angel), and Rodolfo chose the first one. On 26 June, aged 24, he wrestled at the Arena Mexico for the first time as El Santo, although he later was known simply as "Santo". Under this new name he quickly found his style.^[2][3]

One of Santo's greatest matches was in 1952, when he fought a tag-team known as Los Hermanos Shadow (which consisted of famed luchadors Blue Demon and the Black Shadow). Santo beat and unmasked Black Shadow in the ring, which triggered Blue Demon's decision to become a técnico, as well as a legendary feud between Blue Demon and Santo that culminated in Santo's defeat in a well-publicized series of matches in 1952 and again in 1953. Although they appeared together in a number of action/adventure films, their rivalry never really ended in later years since Santo always remembered his defeat at Blue Demon's hands.^[2][3]

Retirement[link]

By the early 1980s El Santo slowed down his in ring activities leading up to his inevitable retirement. His farewell tour was announced for August and September 1982. the first of three events took place on August 22, 1982 at the Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City. On that night El Santo teamed up with El Solitario to take on Villano III and Rokambole in a match that naturally saw the legends win. After the match Villano and Rokamble lifted El Santo up on their shoulders as he received the adulation of the sold out arena. The following Sunday El Santo appeared at Arena México where he teamed up with Gran Hamada to defeat Villano I and Scorpio, Jr.^[5] Santo's last match took place on September 12, 1982, a week before his 65th birthday.^[3] In his last match ever El Santo teamed up with Gory Guerrero who came out of retirement to reform "La Pareja Atómica" as they teamed up with Huracán Ramirez and El Solitario. Their opponents included one of El Santo's biggest rivals in Perro Aguayo as well as El Signo, Negro Navarro and El Texano. True to the legend of El Santo he won his last match and retired as the hero he always portrayed in the ring and on the screen. His retirement tour was also used to introduce Santo's son Jorge as the next generation El Santo as he was ringside at each show wearing the silver mask and being introduced as El Hijo del Santo.^[5]

Death[link]

Just over a year after his retirement (in late January 1984), El Santo was a guest on Contrapunto, a Mexican television program and, completely without warning, removed his mask just enough to expose his face, in effect bidding his fans goodbye.^[3] It is the only documented case of Santo ever removing his mask in public.^[2] Santo died from a heart attack (during a stage show he was putting on) on February 5, 1984, at 9:40 p.m., a week after his Contrapunto TV appearance. As per his wishes, he was buried wearing his famous silver mask. His funeral is considered one of the biggest in Mexican history as fans and friends flocked to see "el Enmascarado de Plata" (The Silver-Masked One) one last time. After his death, a statue of El Santo was erected in his home town of Tulancingo and other statues have been created since then.^[3]

Legacy[link]

The legend of El Santo lives on to this very day both inside and outside the wrestling ring. Santo's youngest son with his first wife, Jorge carries on the legend of the Silver Mask, wrestling as El Hijo del Santo wearing the silver mask, cape and outfit that is very close to what his father used to wear. While El Hijo del Santo is not as big an icon as his father he is considered a more technically proficient wrestler.^[6][7]

In the early 1960s a female wrestler called La Novia del Santo (Spanish for "the Bride of El Santo") worked the Mexican circuit. Under the silver mask was Irma González, a well-known wrestler who had promised her fiancé that she'd stop wrestling, but went back in the ring under a mask when she could not resist the draw of competition. La Novia got El Santo's blessing to use the name and is the only non-family member ever given the right to use the Santo name. Gonzáles only wrestled as "La Novia del Santo" for 7 months until she got married. Later on, a homosexual wrestler adopted the "La Novia del Santo" name but El Santo took action and put an end to the impostor's use of the name.^[8]

Recently one of El Santo's 25 grandchildren made his professional debut. After gaining some seasoning under different identities "??" began working as "El Nieto del Santo" (Spanish for "the Grandson of Santo"). El Hijo Del Santo took legal actions to prevent this as he owns all "El Santo" rights when it comes to wrestling, presumably because he himself is planning on letting one of his own sons use the "El Nieto del Santo" name. These days, the grandson of El Santo works as "Axxel" and only uses "El Nieto del Santo" as an unofficial nickname to avoid any legal issues. Axxel uses the same trademark mask, cape and trunk design as El Santo but has incorporated black trim and knee pads, presumably not to infringe on the legal rights of El Hijo del Santo.

Movie career[link]

In 1952, the artist and editor José G. Cruz started a Santo comic book, turning Santo into the first and foremost character in Mexican popular literature, his popularity only rivalled by the legendary Kalimán character. The Santo comic book series (four different volumes) ran continuously for 35 years, ending in 1987.

Also in 1952, a superhero motion picture serial was made entitled "The Man in the Silver Mask", which was supposed to star Santo, but he declined to appear in it, because he thought it would fail commercially. The film was made instead with well-known luchador El Médico Asesino in the lead role, wearing a white mask similar to Santo's silver one. A villain named "The Silver-Masked Man" was introduced into the plot at the last minute, thus the title of the film strangely became a reference to the villain, not the hero.

In 1958, Fernando Osés, a wrestler and actor, invited Santo to work in movies, and although Santo was unwilling to give up his wrestling career, he accepted, planning to do both at the same time. Oses was planning on playing the hero in these films, with Santo appearing as his costumed sidekick. Fernando Osés and Enrique Zambrano wrote the scripts for the first two movies, el Cerebro del Mal (The Evil Brain) and Hombres Infernales (The Infernal Men), both released in 1958, and directed by Joselito Rodríguez. Filming was done in Cuba, and ended just the day before Fidel Castro entered Havana and declared the victory of the revolution. Santo played a masked superhero-type sidekick to the main hero (who was called El Incognito) in these two films, and was not the main character (nor was he depicted as a wrestler in these 2 films). The films did poorly at the box office when they were released. Years later however, when Santo's film career took off, the distributors of these two films quietly added Santo's name into the titles. Most people feel Santo's film career really took off in 1961, with his third movie "Santo Vs The Zombies." Santo was given the starring role with this film, and was shown for the first time as a professional wrestler moonlighting as a superhero.

Santo wound up appearing in a total of 52 lucha libre films in all, two of which were just cameo appearances. The style of the movies was essentially the same throughout the series, with Santo as a superhero fighting supernatural creatures, evil scientists, various criminals/ secret agents and so on. The tones were reminiscent of U.S. B-movies and TV shows, perhaps most similar to the old Republic Pictures serials of the 1940s.

His best-known movie outside of Mexico is also considered one of his best, 1962s Santo vs. las Mujeres Vampiro (Santo vs. the Vampire Women), which was also featured in an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000. In this movie, the production values were better, and there was an attempt at creating more a mythos and background for Santo, as the last of a long line of fighters against evil. It was an enormous success at the box office, and was one of the 4 Santo films ever to be dubbed in English. Some of these English films were imported to the United States through the efforts of K. Gordon Murray who changed the name of Santo to Samson for some of his releases. Santo's most financially successful film however was "The Mummies of Guanajuato" (1970), which co-starred Blue Demon and Mil Mascaras. Many Mexi-movie fans consider it to be the greatest luchador film ever made.

The Santo film series inspired the production of similar series of movies starring other well-known luchadores such as Blue Demon, Mil Mascaras, Superzan and the Wrestling Women, among others. Santo even co-starred with Blue Demon and Mil Mascaras in several of his movies. When Blue Demon invited Santo to co-star with him and Mil Mascaras in the "Champions of Justice" movie trilogy, however, Santo was too busy making other films to participate.

By 1977, the masked wrestler film craze had practically died off, but Santo continued to appear in more films over the next few years. His last film was "FURY OF THE KARATE EXPERTS", shot in Florida in 1982, the same year he retired from the ring. Santo officially retired from wrestling on Sept. 12, 1982 (a week before his 65th birthday). His last match was at the El Toreo de Cuatro Caminos in Mexico. All told, his professional wrestling career spanned a total of 48 years.

Santo appeared as a guest on Contrapunto, a Mexican television program and, completely without warning, removed his mask just enough to expose his face. It is the only documented case of Santo ever removing his mask in public. Santo died from a heart attack on Feb. 5, 1984, at 9:40 p.m. (about a week after his Contrapunto TV appearance). He was 66 years old. As per his wishes, he was buried wearing his famous silver mask.

Other media appearances[link]

Santo also became an animated mini-series on Cartoon Network in Latin America. On October 27, 2004, Cartoon Network released the first chapter of 5 shorts. Each chapter is about 2 minutes long, and they were shown weekly on Wednesday nights at 8:00 PM. There is also currently another Santo series in development at Cartoon Network Studios in Burbank. The mini series was inspired by Santo's classic movies. Santo fought against an evil scientist, Dr. Clone, who collected the DNA of Santo's previous foes and resurrected them to kill Santo and dominate the world.

El Santo also inspired the animated series Mucha Lucha and El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera. In Mucha Lucha he's called "El Rey", and it's represented as an icon of all positive things. In El Tigre, the character White Pantera shares much of El Santo's ever optimist attitude from the movies, but there's also a character named Silver Sombrero who is an exact copy of Santo, except he wears a large Mexican hat.

Santo is immortalized in the rockabilly band Southern Culture on the Skids' 1996 album Santo Swings!/Viva el Santo. Santo is often resurrected in Southern Culture's live performances when an audience member jumps onstage donning Santo's mask. The Latin ska band King Changó released an album titled The Return of El Santo. A Turkish actor portrayed an unlicensed version of Santo in the infamous bootleg Turkish film 3 dev adam. In addition the 2001 Canadian cult film, Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter, also features an unlicensed version of El Santo as one of Christ's monster hunting associates.

He also is referred by Mexican rock band Botellita de Jerez in their song Santo, where they told Santo's victories in the ring and in the movies as well as the big respect he got as a Mexican movie hero, in the song they parody songs like the Batman TV Series's theme along as some religious songs.

Santo filmography (in chronological order)[link]

• Santo contra el cerebro del mal (Santo Vs. The Evil Brain, 1958)^[9][10]
• Santo contra hombres infernales (Santo vs. The Infernal Men, 1958)^[9][10]
• Santo contra los zombies (Santo vs. The Zombies, 1961) aka Invasion of the Zombies (dubbed in English)^[9][10]
• Santo contra el rey del crimen (Santo vs. The King of Crime, 1961)^[9][10]
• Santo en el hotel de la muerte (Santo In The Hotel of Death, 1961)^[9][10]
• Santo contra el cerebro diabolico (Santo vs. the Diabolical Brain, 1962)^[9][10]
• Santo contra las mujeres vampiro (Santo vs. The Vampire Women, 1962) aka Samson vs. the Vampire Women (dubbed in English)^[9][10]
• Santo en el museo de cera (Santo In The Wax Museum, 1963) aka Samson in the Wax Museum (dubbed in English)^[9][10]
• Santo contra el estrangulador (Santo vs. The Strangler, 1963)^[9][10]
• El espectro del estrangulador (Santo vs. The Ghost of the Strangler, 1963)^[9][10]
• Blue Demon contra el poder satánico (Blue Demon vs. Satanic Power, 1964) (cameo appearance)^[9][10]
• Santo en Atacan las brujas (Santo in The Witches Attack, 1964) aka Santo en la casa de las brujas^[9][10]
• El hacha diabólica (Santo in The Diabolical Axe, 1964)^[9][10]
• Santo en los profanadores de tumbas (Santo in The Grave Robbers, 1965)^[9][10]
• Santo en el Barón Brakola (Santo in Baron Brakola, 1965)^[9][10]
• Santo contra la invasión de los marcianos (Santo vs. The Martian Invasion, 1966)^[9][10]
• Santo contra los villanos del ring (Santo vs. The Villains of the Ring, 1966) (Santo's last B&W film)^[9][10]
• Santo en Operación 67 (Santo in Operation 67, 1966) (Santo's first color film)^[9][10]
• Santo en el tesoro de Moctezuma (Santo in The Treasure of Moctezuma, 1967)^[9][10]
• Santo en el tesoro de Drácula (Santo in Dracula's Treasure, 1968) aka The Vampire and Sex (a separate adult-rated version)^[9][10]
• Santo contra Capulina (Santo vs. Capulina, 1968)^[9][10]
• Santo contra Blue Demon en la Atlántida (Santo vs. Blue Demon in Atlantis, 1969)^[9][10]
• Santo y Blue Demon contra los monstruos (Santo and Blue Demon vs. the Monsters, 1969)^[9][10]
• Santo y Blue Demon en el mundo de los muertos (Santo and Blue Demon in the World of the Dead, 1969)^[9][10]
• Santo contra los cazadores de cabezas (Santo vs. The Headhunters, 1969)^[9][10]
• Santo frente a la muerte (Santo Faces Death, 1969) aka Santo vs. the Mafia Killers^[9][10]
• Santo contra los jinetes del terror (Santo Vs The Terror Riders, 1970) aka The Lepers and Sex (a separate adult-rated version)^[9][10]
• Santo en la venganza de las mujeres vampiro (Santo in the Revenge of the Vampire Women, 1970)^[9][10]
• Santo contra la mafia del vicio (Santo vs. The Mafia of Vice, 1970) aka Mission Sabotage^[9][10]
• Santo en la venganza de la momia (Santo in the Mummy's Revenge, 1970)^[9][10]
• Santo en Las momias de Guanajuato (Santo in The Mummies of Guanajuato, 1970) (co-starring Mil Mascaras and Blue Demon)^[9][10]
• Santo en el misterio de la perla negra (Santo in the Mystery of the Black Pearl, 1971) aka The Caribbean Connection (this film was released in Spain in 1971, but was only released in Mexico in 1975)^[9][10]
• Santo contra la hija de Frankenstein (Santo vs. Frankenstein's Daughter, 1971)^[9][10]
• Santo en Misión suicida (Santo in Suicide Mission, 1971)^[9][10]
• Santo contra los asesinos de otros mundos (Santo vs. the Killers from Other Worlds, 1971) aka Santo vs. the Living Atom^[9][10]
• Santo y el tigresa en el aguila real (Santo and the Tigress in the Royal Eagle, 1971)^[9][10]
• Santo y Blue Demon contra Drácula y el Hombre Lobo (Santo and Blue Demon Vs. Dracula and the Wolf Man, 1972)^[9][10]
• Santo contra los secuestradores (Santo Vs. The Kidnappers, 1972)^[9][10]
• Santo contra la magia negra (Santo vs. Black Magic, 1972)^[9][10]
• Santo y Blue Demon en las bestias del terror (Santo and Blue Demon in the Beasts of Terror, 1972)^[9][10]
• Santo contra las lobas (Santo vs. The She-Wolves, 1972)^[9][10]
• Santo en Anónimo mortal (Santo in Anonymous Death Threat, 1972)^[9][10]
• Santo y Blue Demon contra el doctor Frankenstein (Santo and Blue Demon Vs Dr. Frankenstein, 1973)^[9][10]
• Santo contra el doctor Muerte (Santo Vs Dr. Death, 1973) aka Santo strikes again, aka The Masked Man Strikes Again" (one of only four Santo films that was dubbed in English)^[9][10]
• Santo en la venganza de la llorona (Santo in the Revenge of the Crying Woman, 1974) (co-starring boxing champ Mantequilla Napoles)^[9][10]
• Santo en Oro negro (Santo in Black Gold, 1975) aka La Noche de San Juan^[9][10]
• Santo en el Misterio en las Bermudas (Santo in The Bermuda Mystery, 1977) (co-starring Blue Demon and Mil Mascaras)^[9][10]
• Santo en la frontera del terror (Santo at the Border of Terror, 1979) aka Santo vs. the White Shadow^[9][10]
• Santo contra el asesino de televisión (Santo vs the TV Killer, 1981)^[9][10]
• Chanoc y el hijo del Santo contra los vampiros asesinos (Chanoc and Son of Santo vs. The Killer Vampires, 1981) (cameo appearance)^[9][10]
• Santo en el puño de la muerte (Santo in Fist of Death, 1982)^[9][10]
• Santo en la furia de los karatekas (Santo in Fury of the Karate Experts, 1982)^[9][10]