Today, the house is a museum where visitors can learn about the Ponce de León family and early colonial life. Stuccoing was a common practice used to protect the delicate masonry limestone walls of many buildings. Sometime during the 18th century, residents nicknamed Casa-Torre the Casa Blanca, or White House, which referred to the thick coat of stucco that covered both the interior and exterior walls. Although Ponce de León never lived in Casa-Torre, generations of his descendents did. Today, Puerto Ricans consider the Plaza de Armas the heart of Old San Juan.Īdjacent to La Catedral de San Juan Bautista and built on the site of Ponce de León’s own home by his son-in-law, Casa-Torre de Ponce de Leóndates from the 16th century and served as both a shelter and a fort for the family’s defense. Shortly thereafter, noting its small size and steep terrain, the community created another plaza, the Plaza de Armas, further inland at Calle de San Francisco to provide a more functional social center. Plazas were common in Spanish cities in Europe at the time. The colonists included a public plaza used for open-air markets and social exchange, called Plaza de la Catedral, just outside the church. Started in 1542 and altered over the centuries, the historic cathedral is another example of Gothic and Renaissance Revival architecture. On del Cristo Street, the capital’s first cathedral, La Catedral de San Juan Bautista, is still open daily for services. Thomas of Aquinas Convent that housed the Dominican friars, as well as the surrounding community. The church, an example of Gothic and Renaissance architecture, served the St. On the same street, the Iglesia de San José dates from 1521. During this early period, the settlers built a number of significant buildings that still survive in Old San Juan.įounded between 1521 and1523, the historic Convento de los Dominicos (originally the Convento de Santo Tomás de Aquino) is on Calle del Santo Cristo de la Salud. Spanish ships stopped at San Juan on their journey between Spain and Hispaniola, but the colony struggled as gold became scarce. This new town replaced the settlement he had established in 1508 at Caparra, Puerto Rico, which was near the gold mines that made Puerto Rico valuable to the Spanish. Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León founded San Juan in 1519. Castillo de San Felipe del Morro, Castillo de San Cristóbal, its circuit of defensive walls, and La Fortaleza also known as Palacio de Santa Catalina, are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The massive fortifications are part of the San Juan National Historic Site, which is administered by the National Park Service and featured separately in this itinerary. The forts and city walls are fine examples of historic military architecture that reflect the power of the early Spanish Empire and the spread of European culture. The Spanish fortifications in San Juan are the oldest European construction in territory of the United States and one of the oldest in the Americas. Old San Juan’s impressive fortifications include La Fortaleza, the three forts of San Felipe del Morro, San Cristóbal and San Juan de la Cruz (El Cañuelo), and a large portion of the city wall, constructed between the 16th and 19th centuries to protect the city and the Bay of San Juan. These styles of architecture create a sense of drama and authority with their beautifully-detailed ornamentation, arches, and domes. Today, it is the nation’s most complete Spanish urban center with its Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque architecture. Old San Juan’s historic architecture reflects four centuries of development that shaped the historic urban landscape. San Juan evolved from a frontier community to become an important Spanish outpost and port until the United States annexed Puerto Rico in 1898 at the end of the Spanish-American War. Many of the oldest post-contact buildings and structures in the United States are within its 74-block radius. Located in the western corner of the beautiful San Juan Islet, the Old San Juan Historic District is the historic core of the city. Since the Spanish founded it in 1519, San Juan has served as the capital city of Puerto Rico. San Juan, Puerto Rico, is the oldest continuously inhabited post-European contact city in United States territory and the second oldest in the entire Western Hemisphere.