SAN JUAN PUERTO RICO MAP LOCATION TV
The forts El Morro and San Cristóbal are open to tourists and many of the 16 th and 17 th century houses and buildings have been restored to their original architectural splendor and now house various museums filled with fascinating history and artifacts that tell the story of this old city. You can tour the entire 465 year old city on foot. San Juan is the Caribbean’s main cruise port and is home to more than 28 different cruise lines which bring millions of tourists to the city each year. Today Old San Juan is a busy hub for tourism. Puerto Rico surrendered after a few skirmishes and eventually became a commonwealth of the United States. attacked Puerto Rico during the Spanish-American War. San Juan continued to be an important strategic military location for the Spanish well into the 17 th, 18 th, and 19 th centuries until 1898, when the U.S. By the early part of the 16th century, San Juan had become the departure point for Spanish expeditions to explore and settle unknown parts of the new world. San Juan became Spain’s fortified door to the Americas. In 1634 construction began on the even larger Fort San Cristóbal to protect the city from the other direction. It is an immense fort with 18-foot thick walls, dungeons, barracks, outposts, ramps, and mazes of tunnels that protected the city from foreign invasion. To fend off pirate attacks from the French, Dutch, and English, the Spanish created two huge forts and walled-in the city.Ĭonstruction on El Morro Fort began in 1539. It wasn’t long before San Juan gained the attention of other European countries and the first pirate attacks began in 1528 when the French razed the settlements around San Juan.
San Juan quickly became an important Spanish colony and by 1530 San Juan had a hospital, university, and even a library! The city later became known as Puerto Rico (meaning rich port). In the 1520’s the city’s name changed to San Juan and the island to Puerto Rico by a confused cartographer. When Christopher Columbus discovered the island in 1493, he named it San Juan Bautista (St. It replaced “Caparra,” Puerto Rico’s first settlement, as the island’s capital.ĬNN report on Old San Juan’s food and history Old San Juan, properly known as San Juan Antiguo, is the oldest city in the U.S. It is the oldest area of town where you can find 300-450 year old homes and buildings. The western area of the city contains Paseo dela Princesa, La Fortaleza (Governor’s Mansion) and Fort El Morro. The city’s eastern side is protected by Fort San Cristobal.
The southern part, or port area (ports 1-4), is the commercial and tourist section that is comprised of shops, piers, and most of the restaurants. The northern side of the city is uphill and is comprised of the residential area of town. The historic city is divided into seventeen square blocks. The oldest section is on the west side and walled in on 3 sides. Old San Juan is actually an island connected to the main island by bridges on the eastern side. Come and explore the second oldest city in the Western Hemisphere.