Old San Juan or "Viejo San Juan" is the oldest settlement that still to this day stands in Puerto Rico. Old San Juan is a islet that is connected to the mainland by a series of three bridges. The capital of Puerto Rico is the oldest city in U.S. territory, making it rich with must-see places. Here are 50 must-see historical sites in Old San Juan:
1. Albizu y los pitirres
"Albizu y los pitirres" is a famous painting that was inspired by Puerto Rican attorney and politician Pedro Albizu Campos. It was created by Dennis Mario Rivera and is currently located in the street of San Sebastián, a very well-known area amongst the locals. It is significant because it symbolizes the Puerto Ricans' desire for independence.
2. Antiguo Manicomio Insular
The Aniguo Manicomio Insular, a 19th century structure, was an asylum. The mentally ill were the ones who were put inside this facility in hopes for them to rehabilitate and recover from their mental illness.
3. Bastión de San Fernando
El Bastión de San Fernando was an rectangular area for artillery back then. Soldiers in the fort would fire from this area upon any incoming invaders.
4. Capilla del Cristo
"Capilla del Cristo" is a chapel is a Puerto Rican landmark that was built in 1753 next to "Parque de las Palomas". According to one of the versions local folklore regarding the chapel, during a horse race in the festival celebrating Saint John the Baptist, a racer went over the edge of the city wall since he was unable to stop his horse in time. The chapel was then built to commemorate the rider and to block the end of the street in order to prevent a similar tragedy from occurring.
5.Capitolio
The Capitolio is located on the Islet of San Juan just outside the walls of Old San Juan. It is home of the bicameral Legislative Assembly, composed of the House of Representatives and Senate and was inaugurated on February 11, 1929. The structure and architecture resonate a neoclassical feeling once you enter. It symbolizes the civil authority of the Island, making it an important monument.
6. Casa Blanca
Casa Blanca is a house museum located in Old San Juan and was built in 1521. It primarily served as the first fortification of the San Juan islet. It was also the residence for Juan Ponce de León and his family. It was used as the residence of his descendants after his death, until the mid-18th century. It also served mostly as a refuge in times of attack from Taino rebels. It was also the first governor's residence in Puerto Rico when the capital was moved to the Islet of San Juan in 1521.
Also known as the Pink House, it is a historic house located in Old San Juan. It was built in 1812 as a barrack for the troops assigned to the San Augustin Bastion, but was then converted to an officers quarters in 1881 by the Spanish Army. After that, the building was later converted to a museum used for Puerto Rican crafts. Today, it operates as a day care center for the children of employees of the government of Puerto Rico.
8.Casino de Puerto Rico
The Antiguo Casino de Puerto Rico is a Beaux Arts architecture style building that dates from 1917. It was requested by a group of citizens to then San Juan mayor Francisco del Valle Atiles since they wanted to establish a new social club. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. During WWII, the building was used as an officers'club by the United States Army. It was then transferred to the government of Puerto Rico shortly after the end of the war.
9.Castillo de San Cristobal
Castillo San Cristóbal is a fort in San Juan built and finished in 1783. It covers about 27 acres of land and wrapped most of the city. It was built by Spain to protect against land based attacks on the city of San Juan. It resisted many attacks from many enemies, even from Sir Francis Drake. After close to one hundred years of relative peace in the area, part of the fortification (about a third) was demolished in 1897 to help ease the flow of traffic in and out of the walled city.
10.Castillo San Felipe del Morro
Also known as the Morro Castle, it is a 16-century citadel located in San Juan. It was named in honor of King Philip II of Spain. The fortification was designed to guard the entrance to the San Juan Bay, and defend the Spanish colonial port city of San Juan from seaborne enemies.It was declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations in 1983 in conjunction with the San Juan National Historic Site and is currently one of Puerto Rico's leading tourist attractions, bringing in over two million visitors a year.
11.Cementerio de Santa María de Pazzis
Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery is a colonial-era cemetery located in Old San Juan and it is the final resting place of many of Puerto Rico's most prominent natives and residents. It was named in honor of Saint Maria Magdalena de Pazzi. The cemetery istelf is located outside the walls of Fort San Felipe del Morro, one of the island's most famous landmarks. The colonial Spanish government at the time construction of the cemetery commenced, viewed death with fear because it was a mystery. Therefore, they decided to build the cemetery to overlook the Atlantic Ocean to symbolize the spirit's journey to cross over to the afterlife. Some of the most prominent natives include:
- Pedro Albizu Campos
- was a Puerto Rican attorney and politician and was the leading figure in the Puerto Rican independence movement. He spoke six languages and had the highest grade point average in his law class during his time in Harvard Law School. He was also the president and spokesperson of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party from 1930 until his death in 1965 and was hailed as El Maestro, or The Teacher.
- Alejandro Tapia y Rivera
- was a Puerto Rican poet, dramaturg, essayist and writer and was considered to be the father of Puerto Rican literature. He was also considered to be the person who has contributed the most to the cultural advancement of Puerto Rico's literature. He was also an abolitionist and a women's rights advocate.
- José Julián Acosta
- was a journalist and an advocate of the abolition of slavery in Puerto Rico. He was recognized through his work, since it conveyed messages that he wanted to communicate, primarily the abolition of slavery. He was harshly mistreated by the Spanish governor and was imprisoned since he was suspected of being a conspirator. He wrote a pamphlet called "Horas de Prisión", or Hours of Imprisonment" describing his experiences in prison.
- José Gautier Benítez
- was a Puerto Rican poet of the Romantic Era who was part of the Liberal Reformist Party. In 1878, he became co-founder of the Puerto Rican Review and wrote his first poem "A Puerto Rico" (To Puerto Rico) and was highly acclaimed by his contemporaries as one of his greatest works.
- José de Diego
- was a statesman, journalist, poet, and advocate for Puerto Rico's independence from Spain and the United States. He was referred to by his peers as "The Father of the Puerto Rican Independence Movement". He founded the Autonomist Party, Luis Muñoz Rivera and Roseando Matienzo Cintrón also being members of the party.
This plaza was built in 1992, commemorating 500 since Christopher Colombus arrived in Puerto Rico, in 1492. In the middle of the plaza, a 12-meter pole, called “El Totem”, made of different clays from the Americas symbolizes the origins of the people of the Americas. The plaza offers a beautiful view of “El Morro” and the huge ocean that lies behind it.
The “Plazuela de la Rogativa”, also known as the “Plaza of the Religious Procession” built in 1971 commemorated the 450th anniversary of the arrival of Christopher Columbus. The statue shows the procession of a bishop and three nuns. Legend is that British wanted to attack the city of San Juan. The British fleet was anchored in the San Juan Bay just outside the city walls to starve the native people of provisions. They knew that by blocking the entrance into the bay, supplies would not be able to come in, this would cause havoc amongst the local people. At that point the governor of the city was at a loss as to what to do and so ordered a "rogativa" or religious procession to try and get the saints to assist them.
7. Casa Rosa
13.
Cuartel
de Ballajá
The Cuartel de Ballajá first served as a
barracks, but when the USA transferred it to Puerto Rico in 1976, it was used
for cultural, educational, and touristic purposes. In 1986, the
"recuperación del Cuartel bajo el Plan de Reforma Interior de la Zona
Histórica de San Juan" was initiated. The rehabilitation of the structure took place between 1990 and
1993. "El Museo de las Américas" (second floor) was established in
1992 and it has many different artifacts from the history of Puerto Rico and
the Americas.
14.
Cuerpo de Guardia del
Bastión de Santa Elena
The Cuerpo de Guardia
del Bastión de Santa Elena was constructed in 1787. Its
purpose was to provide housing for the soldiers, and a storage for weaponry. It
is located near El Morro. The National Park Service is in charge of the
restoration.
15.
Department of State
The Department of State of Puerto Rico is responsible for
all the foreign relations. Its functions include business registration,
processing US passport applications, and trademark licensing. In the 18th
century, it was called the San Carlos Artillery Barracks prison. It was
transformed into the Royal Administration building for the Spanish crown in
1850. It became what is now the Department of State in 1984. The Department of
State is located next to the Plaza de Armas.
16.
Escalinata de las Monjas
Escalinata de las Monjas is juxta positioned with Hotel el
Convento. It grants access to Caleta de las Monjas and Calle Sol. It is a
preffered walking location for tourists.
Founded in 1966 and is currently an institution for the
learning of visual arts. Activities like design, digital art, sculpture, and
industrial design are included in their curriculum.
18.
La Fortaleza
The fortress where the governor is currently housed during
his 4-year term. It was originally built from 1533 to 1540 as a fortress to
defend the bay from foreign attacks or intruders. It is decorated for special
occasions like Christmas.
19.
Fuerte San Gerónimo
Built in 1609, its size is misleading as it had 4 cannons
and was capable of defending the islet of San Juan from the vessels coming in
with bad intentions. It played a huge role in the British attack of 1797.
20.
Galería Nacional & 24. Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña
The Galería Nacional is the largest collector of Puerto
Rican paintings from the 18th century to the present. The arts of
famous artists like José Campeche and Francisco Oller are exhibited.
The Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña was founded the 21st of June of 1955. It was enmended as an official identity, corporation, and was also autonomous. Its mission is to establish the public policy related with the conservation, promotion, and enrichment of the arts and humanities.
21.
Garita del Diablo
The famous Garita is a sentry box with a very old, classic
legend. The legend talks about the disappearance of soldier inferred to be
caused by a demon. It is located in Fuerte San Cristobal.
22.
El Hamburger
El Hamburger is a very famous eating spot for both locals
and tourists. It has been in operation for over 30 years! Its location is in
Puerta de Tierra, and close to El Capitolio. It also has a beautiful view
facing the ocean.
23.
Hotel el Convento
Hotel el Convento was an old monastery built in 1646 through
the petition by King Philip IV of Spain. The building was then closed from 1903
to 1959. It reopened in 1962 as the famous hotel it is nowadays.
24.
Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña
The Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña was founded the 21st
of June of 1955. It was enmended as an official identity, corporation, and was
also autonomous. Its mission is to establish the public policy related with the
conservation, promotion, and enrichment of the arts and humanities.
25.
Liga de Arte
6. La Mallorquina
La Mallorquina is the
oldest restaurant that still exists to this day. This restaurant's food is
influenced by Puerto Rican/Spanish cooking style giving it a unique taste. When
the restaurant was at its best many important figures such as Luis Muñoz Marin
would go and eat at the restaurant. Due to economic problems the
restaurant had to close and later on started to deteriorate. In the last few
years the restaurant was restored from its deteriorated state. Currently the
restaurant is serving food to people from old San Juan and people from all over
the globe.
27. Monumento a Juan
Mezquita
Juan Mezquita is an
important military captian the led the defense against the attack on Puerto
Rico led by the Dutch in 1625. Mezquita left such a great legacy in Puerto Rico
that the government believed that they owed him a debt of gratitude for what he
had done. On his 300th anniversary of the dutch defeat they decided to build
him a statue to show their gratitude towards him.
28. Museo del Nino
El Museo del Nino was a
museum that cosisted of 3 floors of filled with activities to teach children
about nature and also to learn while having fun at the same time. One of there
main objectives was to teach the youth about Old San Juan's history. Sadly, on
may of 2016 the museum had to cease operations because the directors of the
museum couldn't figure out a plan to alleviate the impact of the economic crisis
on the museums operations.
29.
Museo Felisa Rincon de Guatier
Felisa Rincon was the
first women elected mayor, she was one of the most iconic mayors because she
advocated for womens rights. She also implemented new ideas to the educational
system, and allowed the poor to have access to Public medical aid center. This
museum was created to keep the memory alive of what such a good woman she was
and all the good things she did to help the poor.
30. Pablo Casals Museum
Pablo Casals Museum is a
museum that commemorates Pablo Casals a well known cellist and Conductor. He is
known as one of the greatest cellists in history. The photo shows the old
location of the museum after it had closed down.
31. Parque Luis Munoz
Rivera
The park was built in
1934 and named after former governor Luis Munoz Marin, there is a statue at the
middle of the park which stands as a memory of him. The main purpose of the
park was to give the people of San Juan a place to gather as families and host
a variety of activities. Currently activities are still held at the park which
most of the times are open to the public. On the other hand they also host
Weddings and Private Events which are not open to the public.
32. Parque de las
Palomas
The park has this name
because bird live there, and everyday visitors come to feed them. For one
dollar you can buy a bag of corn for you children or yourself to feed the
birds. If you dont feel like feeding the bird just enjoy the view, the park
provides one of the best views of the bay due to its elevation.
33. Plaza de Armas
Its the first plaza
built in Old San Juan, when built its original purpose was to host military
drills. Now its City Hall and the Departamento de Estado, Its one of the
biggest plazas in old San Juan and its also a great place to bird feed.
34.Plaza Arturo Somohano
Its a small plaza which
currently artists gather to buy and sell works of art, this plaza is also a
great place to have something to eat. In the middle of the plaza there is a
statue of Arturo Somohano. If you are hungry or want to buy some Puerto Rican
memorabilia this is the place to go.
35.Plaza de Colon
This plaza marks the
entrance to the old San Juan. This plaza is there to honor the person that
discovered Puerto Rico, Christopher Columbus. This Plaza is one of Puerto
Rico's greatest architectural designs. This plaza is a great place to start you
day in old San Juan.
36. Plaza Darsena
Its one of the most
visited plazas because it is right next to the ports where cruise ships dock.
Also its next to La Puntilla parking lot, which is one of the biggest parking
lots in Old San Juan. Many food trucks park next to this plaza, these food
trucks make some of the best food in old San Juan.
37. Plaza de la Monjas
Also known as Plaza de
la Cathedral, rumor has it the plaza in one of the oldests site in Old San
Juan. The plaza faces what was the Museo del Nino, the Hotel el Convento, and
the San Juan Cathedral.
38. Plaza San Jose
Plaza San Jose is part
of the La Iglesia San Jose. In the center of this Plaza there is a statue of
Juan Ponce de Leon which was assembled in 1882 in New York. The Pablo Casals
Museum is part of this Plaza
39. Plaza del Quinto Centenario
40. Polvorin Santa Elena
Polvorin Santa Elena was
built in 1787, by Francisco Mestre.
Inside, they kept ammunition for El Morro. This cultural feature is located within the
San Juan antiguo barrio.
41. Princesa Prison
Built
in 1837 and taking the name of the road alongside, Princesa Prison had a
capacity of 240 inmates and remained a prison until 1965. It was rehabilitated in 1989, and is now the
office of tourism company of Puerto Rico and has a small art exhibit inside. At the end of the road, a
beautiful fountain the “Raices fountain” can be seen.
42. La Puerta de San Juan
For
many centuries, this door helped keep intruders out. Now it is one of the many ways to enter the
beautiful city of San Juan. Full of
colorful buildings, San Juan is the capital of Puerto Rico. San Juan was once a fort built by the
Spaniards but now holds the history and the source of patriotism for all Puerto
Ricans.
43. Raices Fountain
Just outside Old San
Juan’s fort, at the end of a Princesa Road, the “Raices Fountain” which was
completed in 1992 lies. It is considered
to be one of the most romantic spots in San Juan, especially at sunset, when
the shades of red, purple, and orange reflect on to the bay and outline the
beautiful statues from the fountain. At
the edge of the fountain, there is a little deck, for siting and admiring the
sunset or listening to the frequent musical performances by that area.
44. La Rogativa
45. San Jose Church
This is the second oldest
church in the New World, it was built in 1532, it is also one of the few
surviving examples of 16th century Spanish Gothic architecture. The land was donated by Governor Don Juan
Ponce de León, who was also first buried there.
The church has been closed for 16 years because of deteriorations, and
is being restored.
46. San Juan Cathedral
San Juan Cathedral is one
of the oldest structures in the city. It
was built in 1521, it had wooden walls and a thatch roof. In 1526 a hurricane
caused damage to the building. The
construction of the church began again in 1540, but the lack of funds as well
as a variety of disasters meant that progress on the church was slow. Despite the passing of time and the many
difficulties faced by the church, it has retained its medieval feel.
47. San Juan City Hall
The San Juan city hall is
located in the middle of San Juan, in the Plaza de Armas. It was built between 1604-1789. The building has an inner courtyard and is
open for tourists to visit. From time to time, it showcases small art exhibits.
48. Teatro Tapia
Teatro Tapia is located in
the Fortaleza street and is possibly the oldest freestanding theatre stage
building that is still in use in the United States. Built in 1824, the building takes the form of
a horseshoe-shaped opera house. Today,
the 19th century theatre continues past traditions by serving as a venue for
ballets, concerts, operas, theatrical performances and cultural events. During the forties, the theatre fell into a
period of neglect that nearly resulted in the demolition of this beautiful and
historical building. Thankfully, the
then governor of San Juan saw an opportunity to preserve this Puerto Rican
cultural treasure.
49. Tito Curet Statue
The Tito Curet statue, known for his salsa songs, sits in one of his favorite
benches in the “Plaza de Armas”.
50. End of Royal Trail, Where the Ocean Becomes Bay
At the end of the royal
trail, the ocean becomes a beautiful, calm bay between el Morro and a small
fort at Isla de Cabras at the opposite side of El Morro.
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