“excerpt in progress”
October 17, 2024
At 10:00 p.m. February 27, 1844 a shot from a blunderbuss was heard when Matías Ramón Mella shot at the Puerta de la Misericordia (Mercy Gate), Santo Domingo. The sound in the air, known as, “El Trabucazo” (the blunderbuss) signalled independence from Haiti 
Matías Ramón Mella may have fired a blunderbuss similar to this early 19th century flintlock firearm 
Built in 1543 by Rodrigo de Liendo, “La Puerta de la Misericordia” (The Mercy Gate), was part of the walled defense system of the Colonial City. The gate is the oldest segment and still stands today 
This photo taken circa 1910, shows how much the gate had fallen into dis-repair. Considering that the wall was 367 years old at the time of this photo it was amazing that it was still standing. 
In recent years there has been acknowledgement that a variety of monuments and public spaces in the Colonial City of Santo Domingo have not been preserved and respected as heritage and historical sites. Sadly, lack of maintenance and upkeep have led to severe deterioration as shown in this photo taken in 2020 
In an effort to encourage tourists to visit Santo Domingo restoration projects were prioritized as far back as the 1990s. 2013 saw an agreement signed between two ministries signifying inter-institutional cooperation when restoring historical sites in Santo Domingo. One ministry was “Comité Ejecutor de Infraestructuras de Zonas Turísticas” (CEIZTUR) (Ministry of Tourism’s Infrastructure Executive Committee in Tourist Zones) 
The second ministry, “Dirección Nacional de Patrimonio Monumental del Ministerio de Cultura” (The Ministry of Culture’s National Directorate of Monumental Heritage) agreed to collaborate with CEIZTUR on the restoration of the “Ciudad Colonial” (Colonial City 
In 1990, the Colonial City of Santo Domingo was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site 
Restoration of the , “La Puerta de la Misericordia” (The Mercy Gate) started in 1980 was finally finished in 2024 
A small group then walked from “La Puerta de la Misericordia” (The Mercy Gate) to the “La Puerta del Conde” (The Count’s Gate) 
“La Trinitaria” (The Trinitarian) upon arriving at “La Puerta del Conde” (The Count’s Gate) declared the Dominican Republic’s independence from Haiti with the proclamation of the “Constitutive Act of the Dominican State,” (aka The Dominican Declaration of Independence) 
At dawn on February 28, 1844 the flag that had been carefully embroidered by these two brave women was raised for the first time by Francisco del Rosario Sánchez proclaiming Dominican independence 
The early plans for an independent country had begun long before that night in 1844. On July 16, 1838 Juan Pablo Duarte and eight confidants (the “Triniatrios”) met and confirmed the decision to fight for the proclamation of what would be called, the Dominican Republic. Duarte’s design for a flag included a tricolour pavilion in red and blue quarters crossed by a white cross. The white cross symbolized redemption. 
At some point after this meeting two women, María Concepción Bona and her cousin María De Jesús Pina set to work embroidering the new flag 
Santo Domingo had been built as a fortified city with” La Puerta del Conde” (The Count’s Gate) serving as the main entrance. The gate is part of “El Baluarte del Conde” (The Count’s Bulwark), a fort in “Ciudad Colonial” (Santo Domingo, colonial area) 
A defensive wall surrounded “Ciudad Colonial” of which “El Baluarte del Conde” (The Count’s Bulwark), was part of a larger system of fortifications. This map (1755), entitled “Stadt St. Domingo” (German, City of Santo Domingo) by Christian Friedrich (C.F.) Fritzsch, (sculpture) and Pierre Quentin Chedel (French, printmaker) shows a perspective map not drawn to scale of the city at that point in time 
1905 Like “La Puerta de la Misericordia” (The Mercy Gate), “El Baluarte del Conde” (The Count’s Bulwark) had fallen into serious dis-repair 
date unknown 
Restored “La Puerta del Conde” (The Count’s Gate) 
Despite all the work done to establish the nation’s foundation as a free and sovereign state the individuals involved would soon learn they were not yet done
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