Upon entering the main courtyard of San Cristobal you cannot help but notice the
three flags that fly above the flags of America and Puerto Rico are well known
but the third flag is the burgundy cross, it flies above this fort as a reminder
of this islands long history under Spanish rule. The four large barracks located
off the main plaza were constructed in 1771 and consists of two floors.
Looking inside the vaulted rooms of the fort, one imagines what it would have
been like to live, and try to sleep, as a soldier stationed here.
One way to get to the
upper level is by using a circular staircase on the south side of the fort
this takes you to the highest part of San Cristobal and was known as the
Cavalier of San Miguel. we were surprised to find so few
tourists in the fort. It was convenient for getting good pictures without
needing to wait.
the San Juan Sun is high and the constant wind from the Atlantic provides
a little help but make sure to bring your water bottle and your sunscreen.
the Cavalier served as an observation deck and gave excellent views in all
directions. Peering over the 18 sometimes 25 feet thick walls you get a good view
of the Capitol building and is diverted to East Greater San Juan is in the
distance, and the cruise ship and ferry terminals are located in the Bay of San
Juan to the south. the courtyard below is massive and one must imagine what it
would look like filled with soldiers performing their drills. Looking at all
this surface area you also have to wonder where would all the rain go, well,
they collect it underneath the fort and sisters the entire fort has evidence of
its design to transport water from higher levels down to the next until
it's finally collected. This is a good use of runoff water since there is no
nearby river.
looking west from the cavalier you get a sweeping view of the community La Perla
and of the lighthouse at San Felipe del Morro in the distance . Artillery tracks
sit next to this not to architectural II pleasing World War two lookout tower
however once inside its efficient slot window design makes it easy to see how a
soldier could view the eastern coastline, the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean
in the middle, and the coastline to the west all through one unobstructed window.
the Spanish Caritas century boxes that punctuate the walls of Old San Juan
while charming to view from the outside don't provide that functional level of
visibility from within. when traveling from leveled the level you will
frequently find tunnels with ramps. this made it much easier to move artillery
carts from one level to another, well maybe not much easier, it was still
done by human labor, beasts of burden were not permitted in the fort
why-you may wonder well, remember how they collected their drinking water?
the mortar balls, placed here in pyramid form for display, were excavated from the
grounds around San Cristobal these balls are hollow to allow them to be filled
with explosive powder so that they could explode over the enemy or on impact. From
here we continue on to our next fortress San Felipe del Morro
upon entering El Morro we see a similar those smaller courtyard and again we see
representations of what living quarters might have looked like for Spanish
soldiers we also see more artillery tracks where we can imagine cannons
being swung around to fire on enemy ships el morro fort has seen its share
of action in 1595 Sir Francis Drake failed in his attempt to attack El Morro
the gunners of El Morro thwarted Drake with their cannons and the use of a
metal chain stretching across the entrance to the bay this Moorish
inspired lighthouse was built in 1908 and replaced an earlier lighthouse which
developed structural problems although seeing a few more tourists than we found
at San Cristobal there were no crowds we were frequently
the only people in the section and getting good unobstructed shots was easy
in 1598 the Duke of Cumberland overtook El Morro by land and occupied the fort
for six months illness and dysentery forced the Duke to give up the El Morro
and the fort returned to Spanish control however this prompted Spain to build San
Cristobal to defend the city from the ease
when it was first constructed in 1539 Amaro was just a tower the expansive
fortress that we see today was modified several times but it largely reflects
the design of Spanish military fortifications of the latter 16th
century later attacks from the Dutch and the British proved largely unsuccessful
because of the extensive fortifications of San Juan
the Ford is constructed with six major levels and it is impressive to go down
view and be able to look up at the massive walls at the levels above me
then turn around and look over the wall to the level still below you outside the
walls is a path that extends around the fort on two sides and we will travel
that path next the passio del moro trail follows
masonary defensive walls that once surrounded the entire city of old San
Juan the construction of these walls began in 1630 and were completed around
1678 while walking along the trail evidence of the maintenance performed on
the walls of the city by the Park Service is apparent the Paseo del Mora
once served as the maintenance road for the west section of the city walls but
in 2001 it was designated as a national recreational trail placards like this
one explain the importance of the wall and its gate back in the day when the
gate served as the main entrance to the city
next to the gate you can see the blue-and-white crenelated mansion home
of the governors of Puerto Rico
while walking along the bottom of these massive stone walls you can enjoy views
across the bay and breezes from the Atlantic Ocean
all of this helps to provide a historical experience unlike any other
in the distance you can see the famous bacardi rum distillery the trail skirts
the city wall from San Juan Gate to the fort of San Felipe del Morro along the
entrance to the San Juan Bay future plans include an entrance to the pasión
del Morro from el morro fort itself and a continuous trail to connect up to the
fort of San Cristobal
the better views are as you approached once you get to the forum you are
actually too close to it to get a good look at
looking out to the ocean and to the bay you see the line of boulders that have
been deposited to help protect this corner of the island from the pounding
Atlantic surf continuing on to the end of the paved trail you once again get
better views of the fort itself a narrow dirt path allows you to go partway
toward San Cristobal the path through dense vegetation offers clearings with
pretty views while walking along the path you will hear rustling in the snake
plants beside you it's probably the Brethren of this little guy continuing
along we are soon provided with this lovely
Vista
when we get to the next clearing we have a great view of the cemetery of Santa
Maria Magdalena with La Perla and San Cristobal in the distance this Cemetery
more commonly known as the San Juan Cemetery sits next to El Morro
and overlooks the Atlantic Ocean it is noted for its intricate tombstones and
the circular neoclassical Chapel dedicated to Mary Magdalene the cemetery
is also the final resting place for several famous Puerto Ricans please
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