This gate is named for the Count of Peñalba, Bernardo de Meneses y Bracamonte, who led the successful defense of Santo Domingo against 13,000 invading British troops in 1655. It’s the supreme symbol of Dominican patriotism because beside it, in February 1844, brave Dominicans executed a bloodless coup against occupying Haitian forces; their actions created an independent Dominican Republic.
It also was atop this gate that the very first Dominican flag was raised. Just west of the gate inside Parque Independencia look for the Altar de la Patria, a mausoleum that holds the remains of three national heroes: Juan Pablo Duarte, Francisco del Rosario Sánchez and Ramón Matías Mella. The park itself has a few benches but little shade.