The Parque Duarte is the central square of colonial Santiago and a useful first stop for anyone exploring the historic core. Mature trees, a central gazebo, and benches make it a pleasant place to sit and watch the city pass by. Named, like nearly every central plaza in the Dominican Republic, after the independence hero Juan Pablo Duarte.
The cathedral sits on the south side; the Palacio Consistorial — a small museum of city history housed in the 19th-century town hall — is on the north. In the evenings the square is a meeting point and on weekend nights occasionally hosts live music.