Ruins of La Isabela

The Ruins of La Isabela are the most important archaeological site in the Americas—the remains of the first permanent European settlement in the New World, founded by Christopher Columbus in January 1494. This national park on the north coast of Puerto Plata preserves the ruins of the church, warehouse, Columbus's house, and the first colonial structures built in the Americas. The view of the Atlantic from the promontory where Columbus built his fortress, combined with the historical weight of the place, makes La Isabela an experience that no history lover can miss.

Columbus founded La Isabela on January 2, 1494, during his second voyage to America, naming it in honor of Queen Isabella the Catholic. The city was the first model of European colonization in the Americas, and from here expeditions departed that began the conquest of the continent. It was abandoned in 1498 after epidemics, conflicts with the Taíno people, and famine, being replaced by Santo Domingo as the capital of the Indies.