San Juan, Puerto Rico

San Juan (IPA: [saŋ hwaŋ]), named after Saint John the Baptist (Spanish: San Juan Bautista) is the capital and largest city on Puerto Rico. The latest census estimates place the city's population at 433,733, making it the 42nd-largest city under the jurisdiction of the United States.

San Juan was founded by Spanish colonists in 1521 and is the oldest city in Puerto Rico. Today, San Juan serves as Puerto Rico's most important seaport, as well as the main manufacturing, financial, cultural, and tourist center. The population of the metropolitan area (Spanish: area metropolitana), including San Juan and the municipalities of Bayamón, Guaynabo, Cataño, Canóvanas, Caguas, Toa Alta, Toa Baja, Carolina and Trujillo Alto is about 2 million inhabitants, hence about half the population of Puerto Rico now live in this area.

History

In 1508 Juan Ponce de León founded the original settlement, Caparra ^[2] (named after the province Caceres, Spain, birthplace of the then-governor of Spain's Caribbean territories, Nicolas de Ovando), today 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. A year later, the settlement was abandoned and moved to a site which was called at the time Puerto Rico, a name that evoked that of a similar geographical feature in the island of Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, which meant "rich port" or "good port". In 1521, 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. The indistinct use of "San Juan Bautista" and "Puerto Rico" for calling both the city and the island led to a reversal in practical use by most inhabitants: by 1746 the name for the city (Puerto Rico) had become that of the entire island, while the name for the Island (San Juan Bautista) had become the name for the city.

Old San Juan

Main article: Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

In Spanish colonial times, most of the urban population resided in what is known now as Old San Juan. Old San Juan is located on the western half of a small island (the Isleta de San Juan) connected to the mainland by bridges and a causeway. The island, which comprises an area of 47 sq. mi./122 km²., also hosts the working class neighborhood of Puerta de Tierra, which is also the site of most of Puerto Rico's central government buildings, including the commonwealth's capitol.

The old city is the main cultural tourist attraction for Puerto Rico, and the bay side is lined by slips for large cruise ships. The core old city is characterized by its narrow cobblestone streets and colonial buildings, and encompasses less than a mile by a mile and a half.

The buildings in Old San Juan date back to the 16th and 17th century. Parts of the old city remain partly enclosed by massive walls and contains several defensive structures and notable forts, such as Fort San Felipe del Morro (begun 1539) and Fort San Cristóbal (17th century), both part of San Juan National Historic Site, and El Palacio de Santa Catalina, also known as La Fortaleza (begun in 1533), which serves as the governor's mansion. Other buildings of interest predating the nineteenth century are the Ayuntamiento or Alcaldía (City Hall), the San José Church (1523) and the adjacent former Dominican monastery; and the former house of the Ponce de León family known as Casa Blanca.

Other buildings of interest from Spanish colonial times, among many, are the Teatro Tapia, the Ayuntamiento (City Hall), the former Spanish barracks (now museum of Ballajá), La Princesa (former municipal jail, now a history museum), and the municipal cemetery of Saint María Madgalena of Pazzis, located just outside the city walls.

Also on the island where Old San Juan is situated is the Cathedral of San Juan Bautista (construction began in the 1520s), which contains the tomb of the Spanish explorer and settlement founder Juan Ponce de León. Strict building codes enforce restoration.

Subjected to attacks

San Juan was used by trade and military ships traveling from Spain as the first stop over in the Americas, making it an important settlement of the Spanish Empire. For this reason, it was also the target of the foreign powers of the time. The Spanish built a network of fortifications to protect the transportation of gold and silver from the New World to Europe.

The city saw attacks from the English in 1595 by Sir Francis Drake and 1598 led by George Clifford, Earl of Cumberland. The artillery from the fortification of El Morro repelled Drake, however Clifford managed to land troops and lay siege to the city. A few months into the British occupation, Clifford was forced to abandon his expedition when his troops began to suffer from exhaustion and sickness. Later, the city was sacked by the Dutch forces, lead by Boudewijn Hendricksz, in 1625, but Fort San Felipe del Morro withstood the assault and was never taken. The English returned in 1797, during the French Revolutionary Wars, led by Sir Ralph Abercromby, who had just conquered Trinidad. His army laid siege to the city but was forced to withdraw in defeat as the Puerto Rican defenses proved more resilient than those of Trinidad. Various events and circumstances, including liberalized commerce with Spain, opening of the island to immigrants, and the colonial revolutions, led to an expansion of the island and city in the late 18th and early 19th century.

In May 1898, United States Navy ships, among them the USS Detroit, USS Indiana, USS New York, USS Amphitrite, USS Terror and USS Montgomery, and commanded by Rear Admiral William T. Sampson, bombed the city during the Spanish-American War; although the city was not occupied. However, on July 25, General Nelson A. Miles, with 3,300 soldiers, landed at Guánica (in southwestern Puerto Rico) and took over the island with little resistance. Spain ceded the island to the United States later the same year by the signing of the Treaty of Paris.

Geography

San Juan is located in karst region of the northern coastal plains. The city lies north of Aguas Buenas and Caguas; east of Guaynabo and Bayamón; and west of Carolina and Trujillo Alto.

Old San Juan occupies the western end of a rocky islet at the mouth of San Juan Bay. During the 20th century, the main population centers surged well beyond the walls of the old city and onto Puerto Rico's main island, and merged with the existing settlements east and south of Old San Juan. As a result, the city is now composed of a variety of neighborhoods.

East of Old San Juan lies the hotel and condominium filled district of Condado, which lies in land that used to be owned by Pablo Ubarri y Capetillo, Spanish railroad developer and Count of San José de Santurce under the Spanish colonial period. Beaches such as Ocean Park are popular with swimmers, surfers and kitesurfers are present all along the district's Atlantic coastline.

On December 31, 1986, 97 people died in a fire set by disgruntled employees at the Dupont Plaza Hotel, near the Condado's geographical center.

Near Condado are two separate business districts, Santurce and Miramar. Miramar is mainly a residential area rising south of the Condado Lagoon. It comprises the former barrio of Miraflores, as well as drained marshland and landfill in which San Juan's first airport, the Isla Grande airport (proper name: Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport) was erected. Miramar now hosts the Puerto Rico Convention Center, as well as some of San Juan Harbor's cruise ship piers.

Santurce, originally named San Mateo de Cangrejos (Saint Matthew of the Crabs), was a settlement for freed African slaves during the early days of the city. After Pablo Ubarri sought permission to link Santurce with San Juan proper via trolley in 1878, the township was split in three parts and its main settlement merged with the city and renamed using the Spanish spelling of Santurtzi (Saint George in Basque), Ubarri's birthplace in Vizcaya, Spain. The "Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico" (Art Museum of Puerto Rico) is located in Santurce.

South of Santurce is one of its former barrios, Hato Rey, which was grazing ground for cattle owned by the royal government (hence its name, the King's Herd in Spanish) as early as the 16th century. Hato Rey is now considered the financial center of the island. A section of this district is often referred to as the "Golden Mile" (actually 0.47 miles long), due in part to the many banks and businesses located there.

In the southern part of the city is the mostly residential area of Río Piedras. Río Piedras was a separate town, founded in the mid 1850s, which hosted sugar cane plantations and the estates of some of San Juan's wealthiest inhabitants (as well as their working class staff). The Spanish colonial governors also had their summer home there, in land which eventually gave way to the main campus of the University of Puerto Rico. In 1951 the municipalities of San Juan and Río Piedras were merged to delimit San Juan's current city limits. Today Río Piedras, home to a renowned traditional Plaza Del Mercado, comprises the largest area of the municipality of San Juan.

Subdivisions

Main article: Subdivisions of San Juan, Puerto Rico

San Juan is subdivided into 18 wards (barrios), 16 of which fall within the former (until 1951) municipio of Rio Piedras. 8 barrios are further subdivided in to sub-barrios, including both barrios of the former municipio of San Juan.

Climate

San Juan enjoys an average of 82°F (28°C) during the year. Although, 90°F or above temperatures are not rare during the summer, especially if the winds come from the south. In the winter, lows can drop to the 60s though the average winter low is 71°F. The coldest temperature ever recorded was 60°F on March 3, 1957 and the hottest was 98°F on October 9, 1981. San Juan has never reached 100°F. Rainfall is well distributed all year, but the months of February, March and April are the driest.

Transportation

A modern U.S. city, San Juan is not exempt from the traffic nightmares that most metropolis' face. In an attempt to decrease vehicle dependency and road congestion, the city constructed a heavy rail line dubbed "Tren Urbano", or Urban Train in English. The 10.7 mile (17.2 km) long line connects 16 stations and a maintenance yard. The project, which began operations in late 2004 and cost 2.25 billion dollars was one billions dollars over budget and four years late. The Tren Urbano has been plagued by low ridership thus not making a significant impact on reducing the capital city's heavy traffic.

Increased investment in public transportation has not changed the fact that San Juan is an automobile reliant city. It is currently served by five limited-access expressways and highways; and multiple arterial avenues and boulevards.

San Juan is also served by a public bus system and “Carros Públicos” (Jitney type taxis).

A daily ferry service known as The Ferry of Cataño, (La Lancha de Cataño) operates the route across San Juan Bay between Old San Juan and the municipality of Cataño.

A “light interurban rail” system connecting the cities of San Juan and Caguas is in the planning stages.

Two airports serve the Metropolitan Area. Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, San Juan's primary commercial airport, is located 9 miles (14km) from Old San Juan in neighboring Carolina. Fernando Ribas Dominicci Airport, is mainly used by general aviation aircraft, although some commercial flights depart from here. It is located directly across the Cano San Antonio from Old San Juan in in the Isla Grande district.

Sports

• Host of the 1966 Central American and Caribbean Games
• Host of the 1979 Pan American Games
• Made an unsuccessful bid for the 2004 Olympics

• Has been host of the Caribbean World Series 9 times.
• Major League Baseball's Montreal Expos played 22 home games at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in both 2003 and 2004.
• Hosted 2 rounds of the 2006 World Baseball Classic.

• Host of the 1974 Fiba World Championship (basketball)
• Has been host of the FIBA Americas Championship 4 times (1980, 1993, 1999, 2003).

• World Wrestling Entertainment pay per view New Year's Revolution was held here in January 2005.

Professional Teams

Basketball: Santurce Crabbers - Games are played in the Jose Miguel Agrelot Coliseum or in Mario "Quijote" Morales Coliseum at Guaynabo.

Baseball: Thruout the history of the baseball league, San Juan has had several teams:

• Santurce Crabbers
• San Juan Senators
• San Juan Mets

All this teams where moved to other towns. The Santurce Crabbers are now the Manati Atenienses and the San Juan Senators are the Carolina Giants

Soccer: Fraigcomar

Diplomacy

San Juan hosts consular staff from 37 countries, mainly from Latin America and Western Europe. Other nations who have consular representation such as El Salvador, Finland, Iceland, and Nicaragua have their consulates in a neighboring suburb:

Sister Cities

• Image:Flag of Colombia.svg Cartagena, Colombia
• Image:Flag of Hawaii.svg Honolulu, Hawaii, [35]

Notable "Sanjuaneros"

• José Miguel Agrelot (1927- 2004) - Actor & comedian - "Don Cholito"
• Ricardo E. Alegría - anthropologist and archaeologist
• Carlos Obed Baerga Ortiz - Major League Baseball player.
• Tomas Blanco - writer and historian
• Sila Maria Calderon - Former first female governor of Puerto Rico and former mayor of San Juan
• José Campeche - first known Puerto Rican artist
• Rafael Cordero - educator
• Justino Díaz (1940 - ) renowned Opera Singer
• Raúl Rafael Juliá y Arcelay - actor
• Ricky Martin - singer and actor
• José Luis Alberto Muñoz Marín (1898 - 1980) First Puerto Rican elected governor
• José Enrique Pedreira - musician and composer
• Jorge Posada - New York Yankees' catcher
• Carlos Romero Barcelo - Former governor of Puerto Rico and former mayor of San Juan
• Samuel R. Quiñones - Lawyer and Legislator
• Jorge Santini-current two-term Mayor of San Juan
• José Trías Monge - deceased fmr Chief Justice and Attorney Genral of Puerto Rico who chronicled life in Old San Juan in his autobiography
• Daddy Yankee - Reggaeton singer
• Tommy Torres - Producer, composer, singer
• Javier Lopez - relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox

Notes

1. ^ [1]
2. ^ "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).

References

• San Juan and its barrios, United States Census Bureau
• Erwin Letter from US Marine Alden Morse, at the USS New York, relating the bombing of San Juan del 12 Mayo 1898 (in English and Spanish)

Wikipedia information about San Juan, Puerto Rico This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "San Juan, Puerto Rico". It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer). Help contribute to Americola and edit this article.