President Luis Abinader was in La Isabela, west of Puerto Plata, on Sunday, 17 March 2024 to inaugurate the renovation of the Parque Histórico y Arqueológico de La Isabela in Luperón, Puerto Plata province. The historic center, originally built by the Spanish government cooperation agency, tells the story of the first settlement in the Americas, founded by Christopher Columbus in 1494, in his second voyage to the Americas.
The center includes a museum that tells the story of the first settlement, founded more than 530 years ago. The site is where the first Catholic mass in the Americas took place in 1494 and the first exchange between island natives and the Europeans.
The Dominican government has requested the site be included in the UNESCO list of world heritage sites.
Minister of Culture Milagros German spoke of the cultural and historic importance of the park. The government invested RD$170 million in the renovation. A restaurant, new parking, and Atlantic Ocean miradors were added. New sanitary and electric systems were installed.
Culture Minister German said that the excursion to Luperon and the historic center is offered to cruise ship tourists arriving to Puerto Plata.
Read more in Spanish:
Centro Historico La Isabela
Puerto Plata Digital
Listin Diario
19 March 2024