The balconies
City views.
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The emblem of Santiago de los Caballeros, the country's second city: a huge white marble monument topped by a tall column, standing on the Cerro del Castillo hill at about 175 metres above sea level and visible from all over the city. It was built in 1944 as the «Peace» monument glorifying the dictator Rafael Trujillo and opened in 1953, then renamed after his fall to honour the heroes of the Restoration War of 1863 to 1865, when the country regained its independence from Spain. Bronze statues of the war's heroes stand at its base. Inside, halls are decorated with murals of the country's history by the Spanish painter José Vela Zanetti, along with a small museum. Its upper balconies give a wide view over the city, the fertile Cibao valley and the mountains. Gardens and broad plazas surround the monument, where locals gather in the evening among vendors. It is loveliest just before sunset, when the monument is lit in the colours of the national flag. The sun is strong all year, so carry water, a hat and sunscreen.
City views.
National history.
In the evening.
Cerro del Castillo, Santiago de los Caballeros, about an hour from Jarabacoa
It was built to glorify the dictator Trujillo as the Peace monument, then renamed after his fall to honour the Restoration War heroes.