National Palace

On Tuesday October 15, we visited the National Palace here in Santo Domingo. The National Palace is the seat of government, much like the White House in the United States, except that the President doesn't live there.

Built by the dictator Trujillo beginning in 1939, the palace is an architectural delight, using many native materials, including Dominican marble and native woods. However, Trujillo insisted on overseeing many of the construction details himself, thus thwarting the architects' attempts to bring unity to the design.

As we were leaving the ballroom, our guides and hosts began moving back and forth across the hallway and having quiet conversations. In a few moments, we were instructed to move into the hallway and form two lines. The word was out that we might get to see the President of the Dominican Republic, Hipólito Mejía

After a short wait, we were ushered into the "embassy room," where we got in on the tail end of the President's visit with a group of Dominican school students. Afterwards we were greeted by an aide to the President, and had a tasty peach refresco in the presidential dining room. Apparently many Tuesdays and Thursdays the President meets with school groups -- the National Palace is a favorite destination of students from all over the country.

More snapshots

• The mural of Dominican history inside the palace.
• The room where the cabinet meets contains the largest table in the DR.