Calle Las Damas ( Street of the Ladies ) has the privilege of being the first street laid out in the New World, it was built by order of Nicolás de Ovando around the year 1502 and runs from La Fortaleza Ozama to the vicinity of the Alcazar de Colon.
In this street were erected important constructions of the colonial era such as La Fortaleza Ozama, La Real Audiencia, La Casa de Don Rodrigo de Bastidas (today Museo Infantil Trampolín), La Iglesia de los Jesuitas (today Panteón Nacional), Museo de la Casa Reales, Convento de Santa Clara, Casa de Ovando and according to tradition many of the personalities that arrived with the cortege of the vicereine Maria de Toledo and her ladies of honor made this street their place of residence.
It began to be known as Las Damas Street after the ladies-in-waiting of the niece-granddaughter of the Spanish King Ferdinand the Catholic made their way through it and for this reason the inhabitants of the colony began to call it that way, although it received several names such as Colon Street in honor of the conqueror Christopher Columbus, La Fortaleza Street, Government Street or Convent of the Jesuits Street, in spite of receiving all these names it kept the name of Las Damas Street and without a doubt it is the first street of America.
