San Juan National Historic Site

Fort Jefferson in Dry Tortugas National Park guarded the western approaches from the Gulf of Mexico into the Gulf Stream and the Atlantic Ocean.

At the “other end”, Puerto Rico was in an ideal position to watch traffic coming from the Atlantic into the Caribbean and Gulf. The city of San Juan was built on the first deep-water safe harbor a ship reached after the trans-Atlantic journey.

To protect this vital location, Spain began construction of Castillo San Felipe del Morro in 1539. Construction on the fort would continue up until 1941 when the United States fitted observation rooms onto the seaward walls to keep watch for German U-boats.

The fort was a few miles west of San Juan and, as the Spanish discovered, did not really protect the city. Further fortifications including a wall around the city were constructed over the coming decades. A few miles to the east, a second major fort – Castillo San Cristobal – was built, further enhancing shoreline protection.

We visited both forts in one day, actually walking the four miles from our hotel to Castillo San Felipe (a walk that was needed after the fine dinners we had enjoyed). The fort is built on a peninsula and cascades down several levels, each well-armed and intended to target different areas of an attacking fleet (hull, masts, sails, etc).

The entry level features several small rooms that served as a promenade for the fort. Each room now featured displays covering some time period for the fort. I ventured up to the top level, which offered fantastic views. We then went down only one level, which was sufficient considering the narrow 70 uneven steps it took to do so and the condition of my knees.

There was no film at this site nor at the Castillo San Cristobal (which itself was very similar in construction to San Felipe). However, the displays at both forts more than made up for it with the information they conveyed.

There are small gift shops at both sites, and both charge admission (unless you have a Parks Pass).

This was my first trip to Puerto Rico, specifically to visit the Historic Site. I really enjoyed our two days there, finding the people very friendly and the weather quite pleasant! I may plan a trip back someday, but for now, it is off the St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Steve