Coming into San Juan Bay past Castillo San Felipe del Morro.
El Morro up close. Our excursion included a ride to the fort (we went past the La Perla neighborhood where they filmed the video for Desposito!), a tour of the fort, and then a walk through Old San Juan.
The Spanish needed Puerto Rico’s harbor so their ships could take a rest on the way to the New World. Construction on El Morro started in 1539 and was completed in 1790.
Entrance to the casemate (the armored structure where they fire the guns).
Between El Morro and Fortin San Juan de la Cruz El Canuelo across the bay, anyone trying to take Puerto Rico from the Spanish had an impossible crossfire to deal with. A few tried. The British sent Sir Francis Drake in 1595, Sir George Clifford in 1598, and Sir Ralph Abercromby in 1797. The Dutch send Boudwyn Hendrick in 1625. Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory in 1898 after the Americans bombed their way in during the Spanish-American war.
Spanish troops and their families stayed in the Ballaja Barracks. Construction started in 1854 and completed in 1864. Today the barracks are an art and cultural center, housing the Museo de las Americas, and music and dance schools.
Time for the walking tour. A local feline!
The streets are blue!
La Rogativa, sculpted by Lindsay Daen in 1971. When Sir Ralph Abercromby blockaded San Juan in 1797, women took to the streets with torches and bells, following their bishop and praying for a miracle. Abercromby, seeing the torches and fearing reinforcements had arrived, felt he was outnumbered and fled.
Our walking tour went out the city gate and down to the water where we took in the sights and ended at a place that serves vegan tapas. (It was too dark for photos, but tapas included stuffed mushrooms, sliders, fried plantains, and virgin mojitos. It was some of the best food on the trip.)