Exploring Old San Juan

W hen you've got a city         Beach and Resort area, and the     that's over 400 years         outlying communities. The          old, it's a shame not to      majority of antique monuments and  revisit the rich history and          landmarks however are              grandeur of its colorful past.        concentrated on the Old San Juan   San Juan, the capital of Puerto       neighborhood. Even the streets of  Rico, offers a generous taste of      Old San Juan speak of the Spanish  the Old World, from its cobbled       colonial era. They are paved with  streets to its impressive             cobbles of a blue stone cast from  architecture.                         furnace slag called adoquine.                                            These stones were brought to San   The overwhelming Spanish              Juan by Spanish ships. Over the    influence seen in San Juan can be     years, moisture and exposure to    traced back to 1521, when it was      elements gave adoquine its         established as a settlement of        distinct color.                    the Spanish empire. Over                                                 centuries, the city has seen          Old San Juan is home to numerous   ships of mercantilism and             plazas, parks, museums,            military dominance docking and        monuments, and historical          departing on its shores, survived     buildings which would take a full  attacks from British troops in        day or two of walking tour to      the late 1500s, lived through the     explore. Plaza de Armas (arms      bombings of US war machines           square) on San Jose street is the  during the Spanish-American War,      central plaza of Old San Juan. It  and went on to become the             features four statues, all of      industrialized metropolis that it     which are over one hundred years   is today.                             old, that represent the four                                             seasons. It has also served as     The city of San Juan has three        the main meeting place of locals   major districts: Old San Juan,        and continues to be an             interesting spot for visitors.        complete but they were vital in                                          the strengthening the city's       Plaza de San Jose is another          defenses. El Morro stands out      popular meeting venue in Old San      among all the forts in San Juan.   Juan. Its central monument is the     It is the largest fortification    statue of Juan Ponce de Leon, the     in all of the Caribbean and has    first governor of Puerto Rico.        survived numerous attacks. The     The statue was made from British      fort fell only once, during a      cannons which were captured           land assault by British forces in  during the British attacks in the     1598. El Morro, a construction     18th century. Another plaza with      marvel in itself, is laden with    a prominent landmark is Plaza del     tunnels, dungeons, barracks, and   Quinto Centenario (quincentennial     ramps but the most prominent       square). Opened in 1992 as part       parts of this fortress are the     of the 500th anniversary of           circular sentry boxes called       Christopher Columbus' monumental      garitas. El Morro has been         exploration of the New World, the     declared a National Historic Site  plaza highlights a 40-foot            by the National Park Service.      sculpture that represents the                                            earthen and clay roots of             Complementing El Morro is          American history. The sculpture,      Castillo de San Cristóbal,         made of black granite and             another masterfully constructed    ceramics, is a creation of master     fortress towering at 150 feet and  Puerto Rican artist Jaime Suarez.     occupying an area of 27 acres.                                           Recognized as one of the largest   A visit to Old San Juan wouldn't      and strongest defenses in the      be complete without seeing the        region, San Cristobal Fort is      city's formidable forts. Built in     made up of five independent        the 16th and 17 centuries, these      structures which are connected by  fortresses took decades to            moat and tunnel. The fort is also  a National Historic Site and a        Rico shouldn't miss. Seeing these  UNESCO World Heritage Site.            landmarks provides not just a                                           visual feast but a glimpse as      A tour in Old San Juan is one         well into the history and culture  activity that visitors in Puerto      of this Caribbean archipelago.     About the Author Kristien Wilkinson is an online writer and contributor to http://www.sanjuan.com Published At: www.Isnare.com