Santo Domingo: History, Former Names & Timeline

The oldest continuously inhabited European-founded city in the Americas.

Map showing Santo Domingo in 1500 — Border map for 1500. See the world in 1500.

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Former names of Santo Domingo

From	Name	Note
1496	Santo Domingo

Timeline of Santo Domingo

Year	Event
1496	Bartholomew Columbus founds the city
1511	The first Royal Audiencia in the Americas is created
1538	The University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, the first in the Americas, is founded
1586	Drake sacks Santo Domingo
1844	The Dominican Republic becomes independent

Who ruled Santo Domingo

Derived from the border maps; each row runs until the next recorded border change.

Period	State
500 BC–799	Caribbean hunter-gatherers
800–999	Ciboney
1000–1499	Taino
1500–1599	Unclaimed / no data
1600–1782	Hispaniola (Spain)
1783–1879	Spain
1880–today	Dominican Republic

Famous people of Santo Domingo

Lived	Person
1451 – 1506	Christopher Columbus	Navigator

Questions about Santo Domingo

Which states have ruled Santo Domingo?

On the historical border maps from 500 BC to today, Santo Domingo lies within 6 different states: Caribbean hunter-gatherers, Ciboney, Taino, Hispaniola (Spain), Spain, Dominican Republic.

What are the key dates in the history of Santo Domingo?

1496: Bartholomew Columbus founds the city. 1511: The first Royal Audiencia in the Americas is created. 1538: The University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, the first in the Americas, is founded. 1586: Drake sacks Santo Domingo. 1844: The Dominican Republic becomes independent.

Which famous people are connected with Santo Domingo?

Christopher Columbus (navigator, 1451 – 1506).

Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.