Charles Bluhdorn, chairman of then Paramount Pictures parent company Gulf+Western, had the idea of using the stones to re-create a sixteenth-century style Mediterranean village, similar to some of the architecture found in the historic center of Santo Domingo.

Notable attendees of the Altos de Chavón Design School have included Lisa Thon, Joiri Minaya,[3] Jenny Polanco and Mía Lourdes Taveras López.

[4] Adding authenticity to the project is the St. Stanislaus Church (Iglesia San Estanislao de Cracovia in Spanish).

It was in this church that Prince Louis, Duke of Anjou married Venezuelan heiress María Margarita Vargas Santaella on 6 November 2004.

A Roman-styled 5,000-seat amphitheater hosts 20th century musical acts—The Pet Shop Boys, Frank Sinatra, and Julio Iglesias to name a few—while Génesis nightclub provides a popular dance venue for guests from the Casa de Campo resort nearby.