11222 Faro De Colon

This week we took advantage of the opportunity to visit significant historical sites we have not seen so far.  We hope each of you is having a great time with your family. 

FARO DE COLON
After 3 prior failed attempts to visit the “Faro de Colon” (Columbus Lighthouse), we finally succeeded in paying a $100 pesos each to take a self-guided tour of the Faro de Colon, a monstrosity of a building dedicated to Columbus.  Dominicans claim to have the remains of Columbus locked up inside a metal box in the center of the monument.

“The monument's lighthouse-style features projecting beams of light, forming a cross shape, which are so powerful they can be seen from neighboring Puerto Rico. Constructed of concrete, the monument is 680 feet (210 m) long, its architecture is cross-shaped and represents the Christianization of America.  Construction began in 1986 using plans drawn by Scottish architect J.L. Gleave in 1931, in time for the 500th anniversary of the Discovery of America, the monument was inaugurated in 1992. It was funded by the Latin American states and the total cost of construction was approximately $70 million.”  Wikipedia

Many countries from around the world contributed to the museum items inside the Faro.

Edith in front of metal box containing Columbus remains.

Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina  THE LAST OF THE DICTATORS
Trujillo “nicknamed El Jefe (Spanish: [el ˈxefe], The Chief or The Boss), ruled the Dominican Republic from 1930 until his assassination in 1961. He officially served as president part of the time and later, ruling as an unelected military strongman under figurehead presidents. His 30 years in power, to Dominicans known as the Trujillo Era, is considered one of the bloodiest eras ever in the Americas.   It has been estimated that Trujillo's tyrannical rule was responsible for the death of more than 50,000 people.  Trujillo's rule brought the country more stability and prosperity than any living Dominican had previously known. The price, however, was high — civil liberties were nonexistent and human rights violations were routine. On Tuesday, May 30, 1961 Trujillo was shot and killed when his blue Chevrolet Bel Air was ambushed on a road outside the Dominican capital. “  Wikipedia

On a windy rainy day this week we visited the monument constructed on the spot of his death.  The rainy day and the monument seem fitting to his deeds against his own people.

DIEGO COLON

We visited the residence of Diego Colón (Christopher Columbus’ son) in Santo Domingo, El Alcázar de Colón.

“Diego Colón, a son of Christopher Columbus, was born in Portugal, in 1479/1480.  In 1509, he was named Governor of the Indies, the post his father had held. He established his home (El Alcázar de Colón), which still stands, in Santo Domingo.  The first major slave revolt in the Americas occurred in Santo Domingo during 1522, when enslaved Muslims of the Wolof nation led an uprising in the sugar plantation of admiral Don Diego Colon. Many of these insurgents managed to escape to the mountains where they formed independent maroon communities among the Tainos.  Diego died in 1526.”  Wikipedia

This is what sheet music looked like from the period.