San Juan

San Juan, Puerto Rico: The capitol of the island territory of Puerto Rico, San Juan is the second oldest European established city in the Americas. The city is torn between old historical architecture and modernization, making it one of the most fascinating cities in the Caribbean.

Juan Ponce de Leon founded the first settlement Caparra just outside present day San Juan in 1508. A year later the settlement was moved further west and renamed Puerto Rico, which meant rich port in Spanish. By 1521, the name changed again and became San Juan Bautista de Puerto Rico in honor of John the Baptist. The island was known as San Juan and the city was known as Puerto Rico. Then names were used interchangeably and in 1746, they were switched and the island became permanently known as Puerto Rico and the city as San Juan.

Because of its location in the Caribbean, San Juan became a stop on the path to the Americas. The Spanish fortified the city to protect the island and the goods on the shops. Walls were built around the city and several forts were positioned in key locations to help protect the island.

The city became under attack by the English in the late 1595. The Spanish were successful in defeating Sir Frances Drake’s attack during the Battle of Puerto Rico in 1595. But the English were briefly successful in 1598 when George Clifford’s troop seized the city and remained there for several months until his troops became ill and had to return to England. The Dutch tried their best to overtake the island in 1625 when Boudewijn Hendricksz attempted to siege the island, but the siege was unsuccessful. The English tried again to take the island in 1797, once again briefly seizing the island until having to retreat again.

Some of the most intense fighting on the island came during the Spanish-American War. In May of 1898, six United States Naval Ships commanded by William Sampson attacked San Juan. After a successful naval campaign and several army battles, President William McKinley entered into an armistice with the Spain and military operations were stopped. Puerto Rico was later given to the United States government with the Treaty of Paris and became a territory of the United States.

San Juan’s military history continued through the World War’s. The first bullet fired by an American troop during World War I came in San Juan’s Bay as a German supply vessel was trying to force its way out of the bay.

San Juan elected their first mayor on January 2, 1947. Felisa Rincon de Gautier was elected into office and became the first woman to be elected as a capitol city mayor in any of the Americas.

The Puerto Rican Nationalist Party attempted to over through the political leaders during the San Juan Uprising of 1950. During the uprising, the party attempted to attack the federal court house and the governor’s mansion. The battle of La Fortaleza ended the uprising as the attackers were killed and the political leadership remained intact.

Today San Juan remains the capitol of Puerto Rico and is the seat of both branches of government, the Executive and Legislative. The city is divided into 18 districts with over 400,000 residents residing in the city.

Old San Juan still features many of the old forts and walls that once protected the city. The original city gates are still visible and Fort El Morro and Fort Cristobal can still be toured. On the other side of the city lies the newer sections of San Juan, featuring the hustle and bustle of modern commercial big city life.

Tourism is one of the biggest industries in San Juan. Guests from all over the world come to San Juan for its culture and history. It also features the fourth busiest sea port in the Western Hemisphere and is the busiest cruise port in the Caribbean. Its Luis Munoz Marin International Airport serves as the connection airport for over thirty different airlines into the Caribbean.

With so much to see and do, San Juan will continue to be the Gateway to the Caribbean.

For more photos, visit my San Juan photo page.