168 Years of Freedom. Lets Celebrate the Dominican Independence day!

Posted by David Guerrero

As we celebrate the Dominican Independence Day, I thought it would be a great time to share with the world, a piece of the Dominican Republic that is often forgotten. But first, lets just cover the basics. As we all know, Christopher Columbus arrived in the "New World" on December 5th 1492, and the first land he arrived on was the Hispaniola (The Dominican Republic). Four years later, his brother, Bartholomew Columbus built the city of Santo Domingo, which is Europe's first permanent settlement in the new world. Shown here.

The Dominican Republic celebrates its independence from Haiti on February 27th, even though it has gone through a few wars to claim its total independence. First on December 1st 1821, it won its independence from Spain. On February 27th 1844 it was freed from Haitian rule, and then on August 16th 1865 from Spain again.

In 1838 Juan Pablo Duarte founded a secret society called La Trinitaria, which sought the complete independence of Santo Domingo without any foreign intervention. Matías Ramón Mella and Francisco del Rosario Sánchez, despite not being among the founding members of La Trinitaria, were decisive in the fight for independence. Duarte, Mella, and Sánchez are considered the three Founding Fathers of the Dominican Republic. On February 27, 1844, the Trinitarios (the members of La Trinitaria), declared the independence from Haiti. They were backed by Pedro Santana, a wealthy cattle rancher from El Seibo, who became general of the army of the nascent Republic. The Dominican Republic's first Constitution was adopted on November 6, 1844, and was modeled after the United States Constitution. 

 Altar to the homeland

Our Founding Fathers; Juan Pablo Duarte, Ramon Matias Meya, Francisco del Rosario Sanchez

Now that we've covered the basics,  lets explore very briefly some amazing facts about The Dominican Republic.

The Carnival in the Dominican Republic is celebrated during the whole month of February, although some towns celebrate it during March, Holy Week and August. It usually climaxes around February 27, Dominican Independence Day. This carnival is distinguished by its colorful costumes that symbolize many religious and traditional characters such as Calife, Guloya or the famous Diablo Cojuelo. It is celebrated in most of the island, each town adding its own twist or creating their own characters and groups. It is enjoyed by young and old throughout the country since many of the groups are created by families, companies, and friends.

The Columbus Lighthouse, is a monument located in Santo Domingo in tribute to Christopher Columbus. Containing what are purported to be the remains of Christopher Columbus, the amazing structure is both a mausoleum and a museum. The monument is 680 feet (210 m) long, its architecture is cross-shaped and represents the Christianization of America. At night, the entire roof of the structure is covered with powerful lights that projects the shape of a cross on the sky, that can be seen all the way from Puerto Rico .

The Cathedral of Santa María la Menor in the colonial Zone of Santo Domingo is the oldest cathedral in the western hemisphere, begun in

1512 and completed in 1540. The Cathedral once held the title Primate of the Americas, it has since been the only Archdiocese to have held this title.

The Dominican Republic is generally known for its beaches and 5 star hospitality, but there is so much more within the island that the world fails to see. Its a country with a rich mixture of cultures that came together before the rest of the Americas were discovered by the Spaniards. It is very common in our country to have an African grandfather, a Spaniard grandmother and a French husband, something not seen very often for that time in the rest of the world.  On our independence day, I want everyone to remember that the Dominican Republic is not just an island in the center of the Caribbean. Its discovery allowed for the rest of the Americas to be discovered by the Europeans, it has the oldest viceregal residence in America, the first church and was the first colonial capital of the "new world". In recap, it is a country that serves as the foundation for the "new world", where its rich culture, values and love are not preached, but practiced by every Dominican around the world.

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