Monday, November 14, 2016
Liga de Arte
Hotel El Convento
El Hamburger
Garita del Diablo
Plaza de las Monjas
Plaza de las Monjas
It is also known as Plaza de la Catedral. Rumor has it the plaza in one of the oldest sites in Old San Juan and that nuns would gather there to mingle. The plaza faces what was the Museo del Niño, the Hotel el Convento, and the San Juan Cathedral.
Galería Nacional & Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña
The Galería Nacional is the largest collector of Puerto Rican paintings from the 18th century to the present. The arts of famous artists like José Campeche and Francisco Oller are exhibited.
The Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña was founded the 21st of June of 1955. It was enmended as an official identity, corporation, and was also autonomous. Its mission is to establish the public policy related with the conservation, promotion, and enrichment of the arts and humanities.
The Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña was founded the 21st of June of 1955. It was enmended as an official identity, corporation, and was also autonomous. Its mission is to establish the public policy related with the conservation, promotion, and enrichment of the arts and humanities.
Fuerte San Gerónimo
La Fortaleza
Escuela de Artes Plásticas
Escalinata de las Monjas
Department of State
Cuerpo de Guardia del Bastión de Santa Elena
End of the royal trail, where ocean becomes bay
At the end of the royal trail, the ocean becomes a beautiful, calm bay between el Morro and a small fort at Isla de Cabras at the opposite side of El Morro.
Tito Curet Statue
Tito Curet,
known for his salsa songs, has a statue in his honor that sits in one of his favorite benches in the “Plaza de
Armas”.
Teatro Tapia
Teatro Tapia is located in
the Fortaleza street and is possibly the oldest freestanding theatre stage
building that is still in use in the United States. Built in 1824, the building takes the form of
a horseshoe-shaped opera house. Today,
the 19th century theatre continues past traditions by serving as a venue for
ballets, concerts, operas, theatrical performances and cultural events. During the forties, the theatre fell into a
period of neglect that nearly resulted in the demolition of this beautiful and
historical building. Thankfully, the
then governor of San Juan saw an opportunity to preserve this Puerto Rican
cultural treasure.
Cuartel de Ballajá
The Cuartel de Ballajá first served as a barracks, but when the USA transferred it to Puerto Rico in 1976, it was used for cultural, educational, and touristic purposes. In 1986, the "recuperación del Cuartel bajo el Plan de Reforma Interior de la Zona Histórica de San Juan" was initiated. The rehabilitation of the structure took place between 1990 and 1993. "El Museo de las Américas" (second floor) was established in 1992 and it has many different artifacts from the history of Puerto Rico and the Americas.
San Juan City Hall
The San
Juan city hall is located in the middle of San Juan, in the Plaza de
Armas. It was built between
1604-1789. The building has an inner
courtyard and is open for tourists to visit. From time to time, it showcases
small art exhibits.
San Juan Cathedral
San Juan
Cathedral is one of the oldest structures in the city. It was built in 1521, it had wooden walls and
a thatch roof. In 1526 a hurricane caused damage to the building. The construction of the church began again in
1540, but the lack of funds as well as a variety of disasters meant that
progress on the church was slow. Despite
the passing of time and the many difficulties faced by the church, it has
retained its medieval feel.
San Jose Church
This is
the second oldest church in the New World, it was built in 1532, it is also one
of the few surviving examples of 16th century Spanish Gothic
architecture. The land was donated by
Governor Don Juan Ponce de León, who was also first buried there. The church has been closed for 16 years
because of deteriorations, and is being restored.
La Rogativa
The
“Plazuela de la Rogativa”, also known as the “Plaza of the Religious
Procession” built in 1971 commemorated the 450th anniversary of the
arrival of Christopher Columbus. The
statue shows the procession of a bishop and three nuns. Legend is that British wanted to attack the
city of San Juan. The British fleet was anchored in the San Juan Bay just
outside the city walls to starve the native people of provisions. They knew that
by blocking the entrance into the bay, supplies would not be able to come in,
this would cause havoc amongst the local people. At that point the governor of
the city was at a loss as to what to do and so ordered a "rogativa"
or religious procession to try and get the saints to assist them.
Raices Fountain
Just
outside Old San Juan’s fort, at the end of a Princesa Road, the “Raices
Fountain” which was completed in 1992 lies.
It is considered to be one of the most romantic spots in San Juan,
especially at sunset, when the shades of red, purple, and orange reflect on to
the bay and outline the beautiful statues from the fountain. At the edge of the fountain, there is a
little deck, for siting and admiring the sunset or listening to the frequent
musical performances by that area.
Bastión de San Fernando
El Bastión de San Fernando was an rectangular area for artillery back then. Soldiers in the fort would fire from this area upon any incoming invaders.
La Puerta de San Juan
For many centuries, this door helped keep intruders out. Now it is one of the many ways to enter the beautiful city of San Juan. Full of colorful buildings, San Juan is the capital of Puerto Rico. San Juan was once a fort built by the Spaniards but now holds the history and the source of patriotism for all Puerto Ricans.
Princesa Prison
Built in 1837 and taking the name of the road alongside, Princesa Prison had a capacity of 240 inmates and remained a prison until 1965. It was rehabilitated in 1989, and is now the office of tourism company of Puerto Rico and has a small art exhibit inside. At the end of the road, a beautiful fountain the “Raices fountain” can be seen.
Polvorin de Santa Elena
Polvorin Santa Elena was built in 1787, by Francisco Mestre. Inside, they kept ammunition for El Morro. This cultural feature is located within the San Juan antiguo barrio.
Plaza del Quinto Cenenario
This
plaza was built in 1992, commemorating 500 since Christopher Colombus arrived
in Puerto Rico, in 1492. In the middle
of the plaza, a 12-meter pole, called “El Totem”, made of different clays from
the Americas symbolizes the origins of the people of the Americas. The plaza offers a beautiful view of “El
Morro” and the huge ocean that lies behind it.
Monumento a Juan Mezquita
Monumento a Juan Mezquita
Juan Mezquita is an important military captain that the led the defense against the attack on Puerto Rico by the Dutch in 1625. Mezquita left such a great legacy in Puerto Rico that the government believed that they owed him a debt of gratitude for what he had done. On the 300th anniversary of the Dutch defeat they decided to build a statue to show their gratitude towards him.
La Mallorquina
La Mallorquina
La Mallorquina is the oldest restaurant that still exists to this day. This restaurant's food is influenced by Puerto Rican/Spanish cooking style giving it a unique taste. When the restaurant was at its best many important figures such as Luis Muñoz Marin would go and eat at the restaurant. Due to economic problems the restaurant had to close and later on started to deteriorate. In the last few years the restaurant was restored from its deteriorated state. Currently the restaurant is serving its cuisine to locals as well as tourists from all over the globe.
Museo del Nino
Museo del Nino
El Museo del Nino was a museum that cosisted of 3 floors of filled with activities to teach children about nature and also to learn while having fun at the same time. One of there main objectives was to teach the youth about Old San Juan's history. Sadly, on may of 2016 the museum had to cease operations because the directors of the museum couldn't figure out a plan to alleviate the impact of the economic crisis on the museums operations.
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