November/December 1999 Issue

Old San Juan
A jewel of a city with many facets

“Living in Old San Juan always reminds me that I am living in history,” says Blanche Gelabert, an author and resident of the old city, who has published two books on Puerto Rico.
   And rich in history it is. Columbus visited during his second American voyage in 1493, though Puerto Rico was not settled by Europeans for another 15 years, when an expedition from Santo Domingo was led by Juan Ponce de León, the island’s first governor, in 1508. Having first exploited and then defeated the native Taino Indians, Ponce de León later died in Cuba on a search for the Fountain of Youth. His bones were taken back to San Juan and laid in San Juan Cathedral.
   Approached from the sea, Old San Juan, Spain’s gateway to the West Indies, looks like a massive fortress. More than six miles of walls (murallas), 50 feet high and 20 feet thick, and a ring of sentry boxes (garitas) and two castles (El Morro and San Cristobal) enclose the city. Parts of the foundation of Old San Juan date back to 1520 when Caribs, pirates, and raiding European armies made harbor defenses necessary by the constant threat of invasion.
   The streets, lined with colonial churches and houses painted in different pastel colors, are laid with blue cobblestones cast from the residue of iron furnaces in Spain and brought over as ship’s ballast. The wrought-iron street lamps, balconies, and shuttered windows all add to the Old World charm of the city. Stroll the narrow streets and you walk through five centuries of history. This is a city of character and life restored to its 18th-century style, a living museum.
   The rich culture of the city, passed on through the generations and apparent in its art and architecture, its language and colorful traditions, is most evident in its museums. “Our museums are a symbol of what Puerto Rico is today—an emerging of cultures,” says Don Luis Ferre, former governor of Puerto Rico.
   Museums include the Pablo Casals Museum on Calle San Sebastian, where the cellist’s instruments are on display. From there visit the Museo del Arte de Puerto Rico, on Calle Cristo, which houses a collection of Puerto Rican fine arts, and the Casa del Libro, on the same street, with displays about printing and binding, and a library of antiquarian books. Smaller museums showcase Puerto Rican culture from earliest civilizations and colonial architecture to folk and contemporary graphics. The Indian Museum on San Jose Street, the Museum of Art and History on San Francisco Street, the Felisa Rincon de Gautier Museum on Caleta de San Juan, and the Museum of the Seas on Pier One all are sources of Puerto Rican art and culture.
   Grab a map at La Casita (Little House), a colonial building housing the tourist information center, directly across from Pier One on San Juan Bay, and take a walk through the city, easily done in half a day. Each sight has a history of its own.
   Along the tree-lined Paseo de la Princesa is an imposing water fountain and bronze sculpture by Luis Sanguino, depicting the island’s diverse cultural roots.
   La Princesa, on the Paseo, the headquarters of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, was formerly a jail, and remnants can be seen within, along with a gallery of art.
   The promenade leads to the Puerta de San Juan, one of six wooden doors allowing access to and from the old city.
   La Fortaleza is located at the end of Fortaleza Street. Originally built as a fort in 1533, the structure with its two watchtowers on either side was not adequate to protect the city, so it reverted to a residence for the colonial governor. Today, the building is used in the same capacity and is the oldest executive mansion in continuous use in the Americas.
   San Juan Cathedral up the hill on Cristo Street is one of the few examples of medieval architecture in the New World. Along with Juan Ponce de León, the body of Roman Catholic martyr San Pio is interred here.
   Across the street is the Hotel El Convento, originally established as a Carmelite convent (see sidebar).
   The Plaza de San José at the intersection of San Sebastián and Cristo streets is home to San José Church, the Ponce de León family chapel where the family’s coat of arms still hangs near the altar. The second-oldest church in the Western Hemisphere, this is a wonderful example of Gothic architecture. A bronze statue of Juan Ponce de León, cast from British cannons, sits on the plaza.
   Next to the church is the Convento de los Dominicos, with its charming inner courtyard. In the 1500s it served as a shelter during Carib Indian attacks and is now home to the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture’s music and book store.
   Nearby, the Plaza del Quinto Centenario (Quincentennial Plaza) is set on steps and levels symbolizing the past five centuries and presided over by a totemic monument.
   La Rogativa, a bronze sculpture by Lindsay Daen, commands a small plaza overlooking the city walls at the end of Caleta Las Monjas. During a siege by British troops in 1797, the women of the city, led by their bishop, held a torchlight procession here imploring the aid of God. The British sentries spotted the unusual activity and ordered their fleet to sail away, sparing the city.
   The city’s oldest fort, La Casa Blanca, the ancestral home of the Ponce de León family, dates back to 1521. It contains a museum of colonial life, surrounded by gardens and fountains within its walls.
   Rising 140 feet above the sea, Fuerte San Felipe del Morro (El Morro Fort) was San Juan’s main defense with six levels of tunnels and dungeons. Started in 1540, this castle took more than 250 years to complete.
   In the shadow of El Morro, which means headland, is the Cemetario de San Juan, the final resting-place of numerous prominent Puerto Ricans since the 19th century.
   The city’s other defense, Fuerte San Cristobal (San Cristobal Fort) is a 17th-century labyrinth of tunnels and arches.
   Under both castles are subterranean galleries used for defense for a fort under siege. Milagros Flores, a historian with the National Park Service, writes in Tunnels of Old San Juan, “First, they provided a means through which soldiers could travel between extreme points in the fort without exposure to the enemy; second, they were used as mining galleries; and third, as routes of escape or counterattack.”
   Birthplace of one of Puerto Rico’s most prominent historical figures, a solider and statesman, the Ramón Power y Giralt House is located on Tetuán Street. It now serves as the headquarters of the Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico.
   Scattered among the history of the city are shops with a treasure trove of local crafts, including masks; mundillo, a delicate handmade lace; Santos, wood-carved saints; handcrafted jewelry; and ceramics. Antique shops offer many examples of Puerto Rican art and antiquities, as well.
   When the time comes to rest from sightseeing, enjoy Puerto Rico’s strong culinary tradition at San Juan’s many fine restaurants and cafés. Shoppers rejoice at the variety of jewelry, leather goods, and apparel outlets, such as Coach, Ralph Lauren/Polo, London Fog, and Tommy Hilfiger, found in the city.
   Not to be missed: people watching. If you are feeling bold, speak up and have a lively conversation with one of the local residents, a truly warm and friendly people.

When not jetting from one location to the next, travel writer Della Smith can be found in her hometown of New York City, writing magazine articles and running her public relations company.