| Page Views: 7,440 Last Visit to San Juan: November, 2004 | San Juan, Puerto Rico by starship - last update: Feb 5, 2005 |
El Viejo San Juan - Vestige of Spain I first visited San Juan in the later 1980's when we sailed from there twice on the old Cunard Countess. Although a somewhat "strange new land", San Juan failed to leave a lasting image on my memory except for the sight of El Morro rising above San Juan Bay. I vaguely remember El Yunque Rainforest and Loquillo Beach. When our latest cruise was also scheduled to port in San Juan, my husband and I thought it would be good to concentrate this time with our children in tow on a self-guided, walking tour of Old San Juan! One thing I definitely will remember on the occasion of this visit will be the sight of Christmas decorations in the public plazas in November under the blazing sun and the 89 degree temperature! |
|  | A Brief History..... The Taino Indians ruled the island when Christopher Columbus "discovered" and claimed the island for Spain in 1493 and named it San Juan Bautista in honor of St. John the Baptist. At one point in history, the name San Juan came to be regarded as the name of the town only while the name "Puerto Rico "(rich port) settled on that of the island as a whole. Today, Old San Juan is considered to be that which lies in the castle walls from Fort San Cristobal on the east to the turrets of El Morro on the west and which is roughly comprised of 7 square blocks
During the 400 year domination of the island, the Spanish left their imprint on the language, architecture and religion of the people there. The Spanish built fortresses, churches, roadways and cultivated the island. When the Spanairds imported slaves from Africa to work in the fields, Puerto Rico became a point at which the confluence of the 3 cultures (Spanish, Indian and African) blended together to give Puerto Rico the character it enjoys today.
Puerto Rico has been part and parcel of the United States since 1898 and inhabitants were given U.S. citizenry in 1917. Puerto Rico became a self-governing U.S. Commonwealth in 1952. |
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| Pros: | "Spanish flavor in architecture & food! Beaches & Rainforest!" | | Cons: | "Watch out for careless drivers, Safety Concerns!" |
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 Comments for starship about San Juan | | | | |
calcaf38 Sat Oct 3, 2009 01:47 UTC
Very good page about San Juan. I'd like to visit there some time. Thank you for visiting my Honduras page, and for the kind comments. | deecat Tue Dec 18, 2007 18:37 UTC
Saw the upgrade so took a peek and decided to review the entire group of pages. They never grow boring because of the enthusiasm, honesty, brilliant photographs, and helpful, informative information. A pure pleasure. | scottishvisitor Thu Dec 13, 2007 21:13 UTC
Nice look at San Juan :) enjoyed my virtual tour!! | lforestier Sat Nov 17, 2007 04:54 UTC
El Morro was also the site of the first shot fired by Americans during the First World War. Soldiers posted there shot at a German Supply Ship to prevent ammunition headed to warships to leave the harbor. |
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