Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

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Main article: San Juan, Puerto Rico

Old San Juan (Spanish: Viejo San Juan) is the historic colonial district of San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is one of the two barrios of San Juan as of 1951, before Río Piedras was added to the city (the other being Santurce), and is subdivided into seven sub-barrios:

• Ballajá
• Catedral
• Marina
• Mercado
• Puerta de Tierra
• San Cristóbal
• San Francisco

Old San Juan is located on a small island connected to the mainland of Puerto Rico by bridges and a causeway. The city is characterized by its narrow cobblestone streets and colorful buildings which date back to the 16th and 17th century when Puerto Rico was a Spanish possession. The district is also characterized by numerous public plazas and churches including the Cathedral of San Juan Bautista, which contains the tomb of the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León. It also houses the most ancient Catholic school for Elementary education in Puerto Rico, the Colegio de Párvulos, built in 1865.

With its abundance of stores, historic places, museums, bars, pubs, and its old beauty and architectonical peculiarity, Old San Juan is a main spot for external and internal tourism.

Contents 1 Forts 2 History 3 Notes 4 External links

Forts

The oldest parts of the district of Old San Juan remain partly enclosed by massive walls. Several defensive structures and notable forts, such as the emblematic Fort San Felipe del Morro, Fort San Cristóbal, and El Palacio de Santa Catalina, also known as La Fortaleza, acted as the primary defenses of the settlement which was subjected to numerous attacks. La Fortaleza continues to serve also as the executive mansion for the Governor of Puerto Rico.

Many of the historic fortifications are part of San Juan National Historic Site.

History

In 1508, Juan Ponce de León founded the original settlement, Caparra ^[1] (named after the province Caceres, Spain, birthplace of the then-governor of Spain's Caribbean territories, Nicolas de Ovando). The ruins of Caparra are known as the Pueblo Viejo sector of Guaynabo, behind the almost land-locked harbor just to the west of the present San Juan metropolitan area. In 1509, the settlement was abandoned and moved to a site which was called at the time "Puerto Rico" (meaning "rich port" or "good port"), a name that evoked that of a similar geographical harbor in the island of Gran Canaria, Canary Islands. In 1521, the name "San Juan" was added, and the newer settlement was given its formal name of "San Juan Bautista de Puerto Rico", following the usual custom of christening the town with both its formal name and the name which Christopher Columbus had originally given the island, honoring John the Baptist.

Coordinates: 18°27′57, N°66′6

Notes

1. ^ "Guaynabo -- Encyclopædia Britannica" (with history of Puerto Rico), Encyclopædia Britannica, 2006, Britannica.com webpage: EB-Guaynabo-Puerto-Rico: names: Caparra, the first Spanish settlement of Puerto Rico (1508).

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