The Captaincy General of Santo Domingo is the first colony in the New World and is claimed for Spain.

The island is originally named "La Española" (Hispaniola) by Christopher Columbus.

From 1511, the courts of the colony are placed under the jurisdiction of the Royal Audiencia of Santo Domingo.

In the seventeenth century, after years of struggles with the French, the Spanish loset the western third of the island.

The Spanish remain in control of the eastern two-thirds of the island, which later becomes the Dominican Republic.The colony of Santo Domingo plays a significant role in the establishment of Spanish colonies in the New World, serving as a headquarters for Spanish conquistadors on their way to the conquest of the Americas.