When this entrance into Santo Domingo was created in 1534, it had two names: Puerta de Santiago and Puerta Grande. For decades, this was the site of public executions. When a small adjacent chapel was built, the archway was renamed the Gate of Mercy in 1842. Two years later, Puerta de la Misericordia gained historic significance. This is the location where Matías Ramón Mella – one of the original members of La Trinitaria – fired the first shot in revolt against the Haitians. His act of bravery made him one of the three founding fathers of the Dominican Republic.
