SANTO DOMINGO.- It was built during the government of Joaquín Balaguer. Roberto Salcedo's Canquiñas had its starting point there; the mayoralty of David Collado took care of beautifying it by remodeling sidewalks and curbs, while the current mayor, Carolina Mejía, launched last year the first space designated for the socialization and safety of dogs.
The Mirador Sur Park represents one of the main sources of expression for exercise enthusiasts and serves as a barometer to measure the programs of the capital city's municipal government and their results.
Even more so, after the debut of social networks that serve as an outlet for the various social classes that attend every day to exercise, and who use their cyberspace accounts to issue criticisms and complaints regarding the existing deficiencies in the largest ecological garden in Santo Domingo.
Since its inauguration in 1970, this area of the city, which attracts crowds every day to practice their favorite sport, has undergone numerous transformations, in line with the evolution of the times and the needs of the citizens; thus, each mayoralty tries to satisfy the demand and fashion of the moment.
A walk through Mirador Sur Park is a true delight of relaxation and stress relief, whether along the internal paths amidst the lush forests that invite an encounter with the connections of the soul, or a healthy walk along the Avenue of Health, breathing fresh air, while the topics of the numerous walkers allow one to measure the agenda of the moment.
At dawn, while the moon hides or still radiates its unique glow, at sunrise, mid-morning, at noon, in the afternoons, during the sunset of the radiant Caribbean sun or at nightfall, Mirador Sur Park is a permanent parade of passers-by, who regardless of age come together to meet with exercise, a requirement recommended by world medicine.
Opening
On December 25, 1970, during the second term of President Joaquín Balaguer (1970-1974), the Mirador Sur Park and the surrounding avenues, Anacaona and Avenida de la Salud, were formally inaugurated, according to the media of the time.
The space it currently occupies consisted of an abandoned area, owned by Hector Trujillo (Negro), brother of the dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, which was expropriated from the Henríquez family, whose members mostly declared themselves enemies of the regime.
Architect Cristian Martínez designed the first two-kilometer section, while engineer Bienvenido Martínez Brea (Bebecito) oversaw the construction, along with engineers Felipe Martínez Brea and Gilberto Pagán. The concrete bridge that crosses Avenida Italia was built by engineer Rafael Bonnelly.
With a length of six kilometers, the Park and its two avenues, the press specifies, had an initial cost of two million pesos, in addition to the million that the bridge over Avenida Italia cost.
President Balaguer would take his daily walks there, surrounded by his civilian and military aides, dressed in a suit and tie, whether he was in power or not, emulating the walks that Trujillo used to take along the Malecón in the Dominican capital.
A varied catwalk
The ever-recommended focus on health, coupled with the fashion imposed by the new era of the increasingly slender, perfect body, has made this Park a natural space that even serves as a disguise for the scalpel, for those bodies that try to confuse the debut of stylized figures, and attribute them to the magical walks.
There's always the politician of the moment and the campaigner, greeting everyone at their leisure with their entourage of sycophants, gauging popularity; nor are there any former officials who, with free time, return to reconnect with nature and with familiar hikers and friends.
Cyclists, marathon clubs, skaters, coaches, baseball leagues, basketball, meditation and Zumba groups are all part of the daily life in this park, with its constant presence.
It is a place where the mixing of social classes is inevitable, because on one side there is Anacaona Avenue with its imposing towers and multiple amenities and on the other side the Barrio del Kilómetro siete y medio de la José Contreras, surrounded by poverty and calamities.
The military parade is frequent and noticeable, with agents stationed at banks, some in "rear-viewing mode", chatting, telling stories among themselves, those trying to find him and those doing their job of protecting walkers and athletes from assaults and robberies, from which the area is not exempt.
The section of the bridge over Núñez de Cáceres Avenue is one of the most iconic. Inside, you'll find a variety of scenes: groups training with a guide or dancing Zumba; experienced or novice cyclists renting bikes inside the park and practicing there; family and group picnics; and on a good day, you might even spot a colorful character, like the girl on a Saturday who, wearing 80s-style pants, sunglasses, headphones, and an excessive amount of accessories, with a backpack slung over her shoulder, performed incredible acrobatics, to the amazement of onlookers.
If you visit Mirador Sur Park on weekends you will find various family groups, companies and churches, who, taking advantage of the holiday, come en masse to enjoy the atmosphere, share a lunch, celebrate a birthday, ride bicycles, relax in the soft, unpolluted breeze, celebrate life or do group exercises.
It is also not unusual to run into Ian Francisco and Arístides Peña in the Park, who frequently occupy Kiosk 8, Guacanagarix, to tune their exquisite saxophone, which serves as a delight to the senses of those who pass by.
The Colmado la Paloma de Plutarco de los Santos has been selling water and coffee for 50 years, from six in the morning until seven at night. Every day, the local pigeons come there to find food, while numerous young people practice basketball on two courts that were renovated last year.
Evolution
A stroll through Mirador Sur Park reveals its transformations. In partnership with Banco Popular Dominicano, the current city government has implemented a signage project, including thematic guides to its various spaces, descriptions of the different tree species, and the inclusion of rules for its different areas.
A medical dispensary, a municipal police station, swings, benches, trash cans for recycling and separating waste, a weight room, a dog park, a popcorn stand, boat rentals, and a nature-themed bathroom are part of what the five-kilometer journey offers, stretching from Avenida Italia to the vicinity of Avenida Luperón.
For those who wish to make use of the Kiosks, whose names are inspired by the Taina culture due to the caves of the Farallón, inhabited there by the settlements of the indigenous populations, Jaragua, Marien, Guacanagarix, Enriquillo, Anacaona, etc; they must ask permission from the mayor's office or call, as established by the literature posted in each one, where the rules to govern are specified.
One of the frequently used attractions is the Gym located at kilometer zero, with various machines for the alternative of the citizens; where there are also parkings for cyclists.
For many years, the murals of the numbers that indicate the staircases located along the Avenida de la Salud have been in the hands of various artists including José Cestero, Elsa Núñez, Ángel Hache, Susy de Pellerano, José Rotellini, Tony Capellán, Héctor Mejía, Cándido Bidó and Aquiles Azar Billini, who in 2020 were recognized for having contributed to its beautification.
Friends recounting the latest chapter of their marital dispute, friends debating the last winter baseball game, the cocaine vendor looking for a few coins, the bearded gentleman with the white bucket who frequently strolls along the sidewalk, marathons for noble causes and for fun; speakers playing merengue, perico ripiao, bachata, reggaeton, or the "mature" walker who takes advantage of the walk to encounter the memories of a song from yesterday, are some of the manifestations experienced in this natural spot of the city.
If you want to experience the expressions of Dominican culture, this special space offers you that and most importantly: it is made to find well-being.
