Vieques: From Outlaws, to Navymen, Tourists and Now Us

BACK-STORY: We were perusing house-sitting jobs earlier in the year during a short house-sit in New Zealand when we came across the advertisement for this house-sit in Puerto Rico. By then we'd done a number of small house-sits to support our travels and since we had become free of obligations we decided to try the experience of a much longer assignment. We wanted some adventure, to travel but not spend too much money, and to not have to go back to mundane jobs just yet. We looked across the world and in the end were choosing between two house-sits: one in Scotland and one in Puerto Rico. It doesn't take a scientist to work out why we chose PR!

Yet besides the warm weather and exotic beaches there was a deeper reason why we ended up choosing Puerto Rico - and it is probably precisely the reason most people wouldn't choose it.

Ok so Puerto Rico, like most other Central American/Carribean countries is not a wealthy nation. Strip away all the glitzy resorts and it's not that appealing to a lot of people. And it goes without saying we wouldn't be inhabiting that tourist-coloured world; for one, this guy in the advertisement didn't paint the prettiest picture of the assignment. He was adamant it'd be a tough gig, looking after a small 'farm' in an isolated area with limited infrastructure.

This is the house in the middle towards the foreground (Click to enlarge).

Excerpt from a post on my New Zealand blog http://chasnatnz.blogspot.com/ when we were trying to decide on which house-sit to do:

...the owner is doing his best to make it out to be some Survivor-like challenge! He talks about 'survival' and 'perserverence' and 'ingenuity,' and I quote: 

"This house sit is not a picnic by the pool. It will require individuals who are in excellent physical shape, because when we say 10-12 hours work [per week], we mean real hard work. Mowing for hours on some tricky steep hillsides. Fixing equipment and knowing how to use tools. If a vehicle is not working you may need to know what to do to fix it or you will be stranded. The apartment is not very large. If this does not deter you let me know."

It certainly wouldn't be as dependable as Scotland - and this was our defining factor. Dependability was, for us in this case, well...boring. We figured, if you're going to go on an adventure, you might as well make it a real one. I mean, it was grand enough to have it's own house-sitter's apartment. It also had a large orchard of fruit trees, bananas, mangoes, avocadoes etc that would be at our disposal. He even said we could sell some in town to make a little bit of cash. This didn't sound so bad, did it? 

So we took the job.

It turned out the house-sit was actually on a small island off of the mainland called Vieques.

Vieques?

We didn't even know this place existed, that Puerto Rico even had islands of it's own, before finding the house-sit. Without looking into it we could only assume that Vieques, being it's own enclave, would be much like Puerto Rico the mainland, but on a whole different level. What kind of level, that we did not know. So we learnt what we could from the internet.

Vieques has a colourful history and stands out for three prominent reasons, both good and bad:

• Beaches - supposedly some of the best, sandy white, secluded beaches in the Caribbean. Since the navy owned a majority of it till 2003, it hasn't been developed.
• Bombing - the navy used it as a weapons testing ground until they were evicted in 2003. 
• Bioluminescent Bay - one of only a few in the world. The luminescence is caused by micro-organisms (dinoflagellates) which glow whenever the water is disturbed, leaving a trail of neon blue.

We tried to keep an open mind about the place. Most things pointed to how wonderful and exotic the place was but we know that sometimes reality can be a little different. We also made sure to google what dangers there might be and from this we found a contrasting view, nothing real bad, mostly to do with petty theft - don't leave valuables lying around or in your car, for example. I read more than once to not even bother locking your car doors and in fact roll the windows down and leave the glove box open so they can see there's nothing there! This seemed extreme, yet still relatively harmless. Overall it sounded like it was reasonably safe much to my relief, just a very poor island with rampant uneployment. My biggest fear, funnily enough, was not being able to drink the water, like in Mexico, but that was put to rest the minute we arrived in Old San Juan, (though it's usually still filtered for drinking).

It was evident this would not be all sunflowers and roses despite my daydreams of sitting by the beach sipping piña coladas (originally margaritas, but then I found out rum is the national drink). But whilst I knew it was going to be different and perhaps tough (and 6 months is quite a long time), this was something not to pass up. Plus, the lure of unlimited mangoes, avocadoes, bananas, crystal clear beaches, Spanish culture...need I say more?

So lets have a closer look at Vieques:

GEOGRAPHY: Vieques lies about 8 miles (13 km) to the east of the Puerto Rican mainland, and measures approximately 21 miles (34 km) long by 4 miles (6 km) wide. The two main towns of Vieques are Isabel Segunda, the administrative center located on the northern side of the island, and Esperanza, located on the southern side. At peak, the population of Vieques is around 10,000. (Wikipedia)

Along with it's cousin, Culebra, it has been given the label of 'Spanish Virgin Islands' for it proximity to the US and British Virgin Island chains and it's similar physical features.

CLIMATE: Vieques has a warm, relatively dry, tropical to sub-tropical climate. Temperatures usually stay around a balmy average daily maxima of 80°F (26°C) to 89°F (31°C) and rainfall averages around 45 to 55 inches (115 to 140 cm) per year, with the months of May and September–November receiving the most. The rest of the year remains pretty dry. The western part of the island also receives a higher amount of rainfall than the eastern part.

HISTORY: The island's past might reveal a lot about the Viequense identity. For the first 300 years of Spanish settlement Vieques was not colonised, nor was it even formally a part of Spanish Puerto Rico (yet it was safeguarded from any attempts at foreiners to seize it). So for 300 years it behaved as a "lawless outpost, frequented by pirates and outlaws".  It was not formally established until 1843, and finally annexed to Puerto Rico in 1854. So you get the feeling that there must be a sense of detachment and libertinism underpinning the character of this community.  

Vieques prior to the 2001 land transfer

When the Americans procured the territory from the Spanish the Viequenses had built for themselves a nice little industry based on sugarcane. Before the Navy moved in several large mills were in operation and as is typical, these were owned by a handful of powerful families, as was the land in general. The proletariat settled on this land but had no title to it. When the navy appropriated two-thirds of the land by buying out the landowners, the settlers were displaced and angry.

The navy's original purpose for the land was to provide a safe haven for the British fleet and sovereign should it fall to Nazi Germany. A number of bunkers were built for this purpose, although it was never needed as such. After the war, the US Navy continued to use the island for military exercises, and as a firing range and testing ground for bombs, missiles, and other weapons much to the indignation of the Viequense people. After a series of protests, lobbying, and an alleged fatal accident involving a mis-directed missile, the Navy finally left in 2003.

The navy has forever cast a shadow over Vieques, even in it's absense. Not only did it lead to the demise of the sugarcane and agricultural industry but much land is still off-limits, and probably always will be. Under the guise of a "wildlife refuge", this land has been supposedly turned into a sanctum for native birds and animals and cordoned off from the public. While clean-up has become one of the island's biggest employers it is ironically not as high as when the naval base was functioning.

With the navy gone and land opened up to the masses, including a number of idyllic beaches that were previously on navy-land, entreprenuers have seen the potential of this undeveloped gold-mine and Vieques is now being promoted as an ecotourism hotspot, a "sleepy, unspoiled island of rural 'old world' charm and pristine deserted beaches". (Wikipedia) 

It seems the travel industry is climbing all over itself with excitement about the possibilities of exploiting this island. While the wildlife refuge holts any large development of the beaches, the vogue of 'ecotourism' and the need to see "the Caribbean's last secret*" will be the key ingredients for luring customers to a place that is ultimately rather primitive. Words like natural, unaffected, and authentic punctuate tourist brochures and reviews. In real estate jargon they'd call it "a blank canvas", which it really kind of is. The fact is, while most of the islands in the Caribbean are now overcrowded and overdone, this unspoilt island is the last frontier of the Caribbean; a rare find of deserted beaches and untouched coral reefs that doesn't seem possible - and yet, we have the navy to thank for that.

So the media is onboard, but what about the tourists; are people lapping it up? Shermans Travel calls it "the most accessible 'uncharted territory' in the Caribbean". I guess if you want to get away from it all, or be a modern-day explorer, this would be the place to come. But I never was a trail-blazer and it's got me wondering just how far away from it all is it? While "sleepy" and "rural" sound nice in a holiday brochure, I'm not sure how well that suits me for day-to-day living. What civilities does the place have to offer?

To my delight, the media is also singing about new restaurants, bars and hotels sprouting up all over Vieques, from casual beachside eateries to fine-dining establishments. There's also galleries of resident artists and businesses offering tours like kayaking and snorkeling. A peruse of maps.google.com even pinpoints an outdoors store within the modest grid that denotes the little town of Isabel Segunda. That's music to my ears, a little cultivation is all I need to enjoy my stay on this island.

So on the eve of our foray into the unknown I was feeling nervous but optimistic. We had stayed in close contact with Eric, the home-owner, since our initial request and his emails became more promising as they went on. He sent us a video of an exhibition he'd staged of his work as an artist and said the fruit trees and vegetables were coming to maturity despite the drought they'd been having. We will spend a couple of days with Eric, getting to know the ins-and-outs of the property and familiarising ourselves with the island's amenities, before he jets off and we are left to our own devices and with this crazy Caribbean island at our disposal.

But first, we had to get this darn ferry.

All-in-all, good or bad, it will be an adventure of a lifetime.

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*Source: Time Magazine

Art and Faith Intermingle in Old San Juan

Graffiti art on a garage door

Puerto Rico is a land of creativity and spirituality and Old San Juan is a great place to sample this mixture in a condensed format. I can definitely see why it attracts artists, the city itself is a great muse. Official and unofficial art have been subtly woven into the fabric of the municipality to great affect. Artists come from all over the world to unleash their artistic flare (Lindsay Daen who sculpted La Rogitiva below is a Kiwi - though growing up in Australia we might as well claim him for ourselves! His work is also represented in Brisbane and Adelaide). We also met with some of the city's own suffer-for-your-art type artists currently residing in Old San Juan; they may not be world-reknowned but they had talent and personality to boot!

Religion plays a vital role in Puerto Rican identity and churches abound in Old San Juan. These are beautiful in their simplicity and you can feel the energy emanating from their vibrant facades. Puerto Ricans are very expressive about their religion like everything else, and by what one can observe in this city, it speaks volumes. 

Art and Artists

This city has such interesting and wonderful sights to see and I'm not just talking about the pretty buildings. Sculptures, monuments and artwork abound around every corner and can be seen adorning every square. Some can even be found in the most unexpected places, sprucing up an othewise drab corner or wall. Unlike other city art, which let's face it, can be pretty boring, much of these works are intriguing and lively additions without dating.

To the left is the Statue of Eugenio Maria de Hostos, in Park de Beneficencia located near the School of Arts and some great museums in Old San Juan. This is one of my favourites, I love the people (supposedly children but they look rather adult to me) dancing on his arms. Known as "El Cuidadano de América" (The Citizen of the Americas), Hostos was a Puerto Rican educator, philosopher, intellectual, lawyer, sociologist and independence advocate.

In the U.S. Hostos joined the Cuban Revolutionary Committee and became the editor of a journal called La Revolución. He wanted to promote the independence of Puerto Rico and Cuba. He travelled extensively and did much to benefit a number of Latin American countries, reorganising the educational and railroad systems, despite being unable to realise his dream of Puerto Rican independence.

This monument is located near La Casa Blanca (The White House), the ancestral home of Ponce De Leon. Built in 1521 it is one of the oldest remaining in San Juan. Today, it is a museum that chronicles the life of modern Puerto Rico's founding family. I really wanted to see it but alas, it was closed for renovations!

Another inspiring statue is the La Rogativa situated in a Plaza by the same name, right on the edge of the city wall, just inside the San Juan Gate. It is a sculpture by Lindsay Daen and depicts the march made by a Bishop and a number of religious women in 1797 to scare off an invading British fleet, of none other than Ralph Abercromby. As we know, the attack was successfully repelled by the military, but what happened after was that Abercrombie organized a naval blockade to starve the residents of San Juan, cutting their access to supply shipments by sea. A ‘rogativa’ (divine entreaty) was ordered by the governor to appease the already desperate citizens of San Juan. Remarkably, it worked; bearing torches, bells and crosses the procession ran them off, though it is assumed they fooled the British into thinking reinforcements had arrived.


Not as fanciful but definitely commanding, is the Statue of Cristopher Columbus in Plaza de Colon (Colon being the Spansih version of Columbus), not far from San Cristobal fort. Erected in 1893 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the his arrival in Puerto Rico, the monument displays a statue of Columbus perched atop a giant pillar, towering over the square. The elaborately sculpted base contains bronze tablets which record important events in the explorer's life.

The Zeno Animal Sculptures in a cute little plaza called Plaza de las Monjes (The Nun's Square), opposite the San Juan Cathedral, are adorable. There is a funny looking cat with a giraffe-like neck, a rooster, and then a boat nestled in the garden that looks like Scruffy-the-tugboat carrying a bunch of penquins! At first it seemed cute but odd, until I found out the Museo del Ninos (The Children's Museum) is just off of the plaza.

Below: A few more interesting pieces we came across along our ramblings.
Left: How about these cat chairs! I don't know who did them but their significance must have something to do with the millions of cats roaming the streets of Old San Juan; they're something of an unofficial mascot really. Right: a surprise we found tucked away underneath a tree.

Street Art:

Left: Interesting mural outside of Casa Borinquen on San Sebastian St. We thought it was just a crazy figment of someone's imagination but its actually a symbol of national pride - a portrait of independence leader, Pedro Albizu Campos. This street is full of bars and cafes and is the site of an annual mardi-gras-stye festival. Right: This was found and taken at night. To me it looks a lot like Lauryn Hill of The Fugees fame.

A bonafide modern artists' gathering:

On the day we arrived in San Juan, our host, Ali, was going to his weekly get together with a bunch of artists in the area. Ali is an artist himself, predominantly photography and graphic design. He spent his formative years in America and in the military but now that he's retired he is back in his native land and following his passion. We were invited along and of course we accepted.

The view to San Cristobal fort

We met at one of the fellow's places. I don't remember any of their names except one (of course the most outlandish one!). Negotiating the labyrinth of stairs and walkways to his apartment we could've been in a horror movie going to our demise. Luckily, we have better luck - and judgement, than that and it turned out to be a fantastic experience. Inside his apartment we stepped out into his little balcony where we had a spectacular view of the city wall and its garita in front. San Cristobal, illuminated by a street lamp, was almost next door and to the other side you could see El Morro in the distance.

The three old fellas we met were absolute characters. They were American escapees searching for inspiration and enlightenment in which to hone their crafts. All four (including Ali) had different areas of expertise, so it was good to be able to ascertain the different perspectives of each one. We all brought something to snack on in pot-luck style, but our host provided the delicious main. Mostly we sat around talking politics and other nonsense and then it turned to art. They were wanting to start a collective and Ali had a proposal for the logo of the group. It was made up of layers of symbols within the whole and he wanted to see if we could discover what they were; I was excited to be able to pinpoint the most important one! 

Next we moved onto Kareem, the crazy African American with the big personality. His forte was painting. He exhibited two paintings for our judgement. The first was an abstract version of two native tree leaves. He brought out the actual leaves and explained the motive: pointing out their different shapes and contours before producing the end result for us to see. This made it much more intriguing and it was good to read into the context of the painting. The other painting was a completely abstract piece and he wanted to know what we saw in it and at which angle it was most effective.

We admired some pieces of our hosts that were on display, a paper mache-style table lamp amongst others, before being enticed downstairs to the third fellow's apartment to see his collection of inanimate objects he'd created. We were dumbfounded; his whole place was taken over by these little pieces and they were very ingenius.

He took pieces he found along the coast and made intricate sculptures out of them. This fellow was the quietest of the bunch, you could see he was just sitting there taking it all in, but he looked like he was having a good time and he definitely was proud to show his work off. His apartment faces out onto the street and they told us people were always gawking in through the wooden bars to get ea look at his work.

Religion and Worship           

Spain also left it's imprint on the territory's religion and Catholicism is still the dominant faith. It can be seen in many aspects of the art and history of this place; plaques on the facade of people's homes, monuments, decorations, and the many enchanting houses of worship. Less than a century ago, over 90 percent of the population could be said to be Roman Catholic. More recently, particularly due to the inflow from the United States of America, Protestant faiths have taken hold and currently claim as much as one-third of the population as worshipers.

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Today, Puerto Rico practices freedom of religion and the significance of the religious landmarks that grace Old San Juan extend far beyond any one faith.

La Iglesia de San Jose in the north-west near El Morro and the de Hostos Statue, was the second Church built in Puerto Rico. I love the stark, gothic facade, especially as you see it approaching from far down the street. It contains a variety of artistic and architectural details which are representative of the different eras of the church's construction and remodeling. It is currently closed for further renovations and is much bigger than the front portrays.





This is the first and only Presbyterian Church in the Old San Juan area. It has a simple, magnificent design and is right by La Fortaleza

Catedral de San Juan Bautista: This is the Grandaddy of the churchs here in San Juan, it is the oldest in Puerto Rico and the secondest oldest in the Americas.  Its original wooden structure was destroyed by a hurricane in 1526 and reconstruction began in 1529.

Some of the original achitectural components that have remained of this now neoclassical structure are its four Gothic chapels (one of which has an urn containing the remains of St. Pius), a vaulted tower, gothic ceilings, and a circular staircase. This along with those characteristics of La Iglesia de San Jose, are rare examples of Medieval architecture in the Americas. The cathedral also houses the tomb of Spanish explorer and the Island’s first governor, Juan Ponce de León. Most recently, an altar was erected in honor of the Blessed Carlos “Charlie” Rodríguez, the first Caribbean-born layman to be beatified.

It is located by the Plaza de las Monjes which also fronts El Convento, the most enchanting hotel I've ever seen (in pictures anyway). Built as Carmelite Convent 356 years ago it was closed in 1903 but later restored as an opulent hotel in 1962. I really want to stay there one night, to be whisked away to a world when rooms contained rich wooden beams, handcrafted tiles, carved chairs, chests, and velvet settees, and have imaginary conversations with Rita Hayworth, Lady Bird Johnson and Ethel Merman, some of the hotel's past guests. Can't you just see me fitting in?

Capilla del Cristo (Cristo Chapel) built in 1753 sits perched atop the city wall in an out-of-the-way corner, and we almost missed it for the cafe tables spread out on this pedestrian-only street. It's a tiny chapel I almost mistook for a gate with a bell on top. It's small and cute but otherwise unremarkable save for another Puerto Rican legend surrounding it. Depending on what you read the story varies but they all agree there was a man with a horse in a race down this street during the fiesta of St John's Day and the rider lost control and plunged over the precipice. Whether he lived, and the chapel was built to commemorate the miracle, or whether he died, and the chapel blocked off the street and prevented such an accident from happening again, is the part of the story that is in dispute. Either way it's a fascinating story that lifts the aura of this chapel.

Forts and Fortitude - Part 2: San Cristóbal

Castillo de San Cristóbal is not as well known or visited as El Morro, it's more like El Morro's little brother, the one that get's overlooked in favour of the impressive, over-achieving first born. But the truth is, while El Morro is about 200 years older, has seen more battles, and sits out on a prominatory for all to see, San Cristóbal is the larger, more sophisticated fort. In fact, it is the largest fortification built by the Spanish in the New World. This fact is not so evident these days, however, the fort having been condensed and somewhat buried by the cities bulging girth, but back in the day, these two forts connected by the mighty city wall became a partnership in the fight against invasion, and San Cristóbal, the new shining crown on Spain's glory, was going to put an end to them once and for all.

San Cristóbal was not far from where we were staying in San Juan; it was probably only a five minute walk till we were smack-bang at its hefty 150 feet walls. It was another nice sunny day as we took the huge stone-built ramp high up to the entrance gates on the west side of the fort, the entrance that would have been within the city walls.

We were made to detour through the old Guardhouse to show our tickets before entering into the central plaza. This one is much larger than the one at El Morro; a huge open space that looks extremely bare these days, but you could just imagine during it's occupancy it would be packed with rows of soldiers practising drills and getting their orders.

San Cristóbal was a much larger structure than we see today. Construction began with a small triangular bastion in 1634, on the hill known as San Cristobal (St Cristopher, hence the name of the fort) facing the sea. But during the period between 1765-1783 the fort was re-engineered and it became the backbone of a larger defense system. A layer of defense walls surrounded the central core, these "outworks" could function independently from one another in case one was comprised they could not take the lot. An extensive tunnel system connected the six various sections of the fort. The strategy was called "defense-in-depth" and was praised as a military engineering marvel of its time. As you can see in the picture above the fort was incorporated into the eastern city wall which also contained the Eastern Gate entrance, the only entrance from this side. Of course, the eastern wall has totally disappeared now, as has much of this outer defense system.  

Surrounding the plaza are the officer's barracks and troop barricks, the kitchen, the chapel, and a number of casemates. The officer's barracks are directly opposite the troops, and were strategically located not just for a view to the city and a nice breeze from the prevailing tradewinds, but also access to water. Just outside the barracks are these big cylindrical stone repositories; these are the water wells leading to large underground cisterns. There was no readily available water supply in San Juan and the troops needed to have a large water supply during times of seige, so this system was incorporated into the fort. The floors and roofs were designed on a slope to catch rainfall and lead to drainage ducts which flow to the cisterns.

This fort is set up better to inform visitors about life in the fort during the 18th century. In the officer's barracks you can see the typical uniforms worn by the officers and gentry while in the troops barracks you can see the contrast with the soldier's uniforms. A room inside the troops quarters also contains a fully restored replica of the their sleeping quarters complete with cots, dining table, water barrels, muskets and uniforms hanging on hooks above each bed. Other rooms contained more exhibitions like at El Morro and I also watched a video on how to light and fire a cannon. This seemed a long and tedious process from what I saw, carried largely by ceremony, that I stopped watching. Surely when the enemy's at your doorstep you blow ceremony to the wind and get that thing lit and flying out of there quick-sticks!

The fort has the same basic features as El Morro, with cannon openings, artillery ramps and garitas, but spread out on a much larger scale. We went up to the main battery where we found more garitas and a pyramid of real mortar shells - which I thought were cannon balls but turns out these are different (mortar shells are hollow and can be filled with gunpowder, that's why they explode), they were excavated from the grounds around the fort. From here we could spy on puerta del tierra on the eastern side of the fort, where along a grassy field, or dry moat, we could see some of the existing "out works" and beyond that, the Capitol Building. Then we went up to the very top for the best views of the city, full 360 degree views. If you're not into forts at all it's worth coming just for the view.

There were so many ways to get around, all sorts of short cuts leading up, down and around. You could really sense the intricacy of this place and it's well thought out plan. And that was only a small portion of it, there were also the tunnels and dungeons underneath that weren't open to the public.

Two things about this fort are particularly noteworthy: El Garita Diablo, and the WWII Observation Posts. The first is the Devil's Sentry box, a garita poking out into the sea, all on it's lonesome, one of the oldest parts of the fort. Its eerie name comes from a story that whether true or not has become something of a legend. It is said soldiers guarding this post mysteriouly disappeared,taken by the devil himself, but the truth may well be it was a good way for soldiers to go AWOL. Either way, it would've been a lonely position to have held and you would've gone made out there for days at a time, it's not like there were stand-offs every week.

In fact, the fort was not even put to test until 1797 when the British tried again, unsuccessfully I might add, to take the city.  The English Commander, Sir Ralph Abercromby, in an attempt to explain this disaster, later reported that the invaders had been found to be a well prepared enemy, with a stronger than expected garrison, protected by a solid wall and powerful weapons.

The other prominent feature is the obtrusive WWII Observation posts that leer unmistakenable over the fort, totally devoid of charm. These concrete structures were added by the US in 1941 to spot enemy warships and to direct the firing of coastal defense guns. An underground bunker control centre was also added. You could go inside these posts which were pretty stark and the only light was from an eye-level slit running from side to side. Great views though.

In its last test of strength, the forts stood as a protector of San Juan during the Spanish-American war in 1898. But after only a few hours, it was evident that the old walls and weathered cannons were no match for the modern US weapon technology. Thus, as history has told, the glory days of the forts are over. In 1961 the US army moved out of the forts once and for all and they became the jurisdiction of the United States National Park Service, to be preserved solely as museums.

One more thing, San Cristobal also has a new, modern-era claim to fame: it was used in the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie, On Stranger Tides. Wish I had been there for that!

Forts and Fortitude - Part 1: El Morro

Situated at opposing ends of the old city, Old San Juan is dominated by two massive fortifications revealing the dangers posed to this colony throughout it's history. These two embattled monuments stand like sentinels guarding the city. It's inhabitants, until not too long ago, faced a barrage of hostilities from naval attacks to pirate assaults. They were constantly under threat of takeover, but also the port was a stopping point for the transportation of gold, silver and jewels en route from America to Spain.

However, determination prevailed as well as some just plain dumb luck. The islands inhabitants were increasingly coming to identify themselves as their own State and not just Spain's humble servent, and at times of seige would come together to uphold this place they called home. Even the natives stood up to help fight for their beloved territory.


The first true fort in Puerto Rico was constructed in 1537 following an attack from the French in 1528. It was plainly called La Fortaleza, or The Fortress. Though pretty, it wasn't of much use as a fortress, it was too far inland from the opening of the bay. This became the Governor's Mansion, and can be found overlooking the San Juan Gate high up on a hill. It's a beautiful decorative blue building but we weren't able to go in the day we visited. It still houses the Governor and has become the oldest Governor's Mansion still in residence.

In 1589, work began on the new fortress. They called it Castillo San Felipe Del Morro; Felipe after the King of Spain, and El Morro, which means 'the promonatory', for its location high above the rocky edge of the northwestern most point of the island at the entrance to the bay. And so began the legend of El Morro, which remained elusive to all who tried to capture it for three centuries

There were a number of significant attacks on the fortress that forced the Spanish to build a new fort on the opposite end of the city and enclose the city in it's now famous wall.

• 1595 - Sir Francis Drake attacked early on in pursuit of the gold and silver stored at La Fortaleza. The artillery from/of El Morro effectively defended the city and punished the invaders sending them away with many casualties.
• 1598 - the English attacked again led by Sir George Clifford, 3rd Eearl of Cumberland. El Morro's strength lay in attacks by sea, but the Earl landed in San Juan from the other side and sieged the city. Unable to take El Morro, the Earl's soldiers held on for 6 weeks, before exhaustion and dysentery forced them to abandon their conquest.
• 1625 - El Morro and the Puerto Rican people's day of glory came when the Dutch, Commanded by General Boudewin Hendricksz, landed on San Juan. The Spanish refused to surrender, and made it impossible for them to take over. Purportedly, even the released prisoners chose to stay and help fight. The Dutch, in their fury, burned down the city, including La Fortaleza before retreating. By this stage it became imperitive for a second fort and city wall to be built to reinforce defenses.

El Morro is the first of the two forts we visited, which makes sense, being the oldest on the island. We took one of the free trolleys up to the fort because it was so hot. The first thing you notice is the huge expanse of green spreading across either side of a long straight road leading up to the fort. This was a strategic maneuver by the Spanish, providing the perfect "field of fire" for the approaching enemy. Known today as the Esplanade, it's a popular place for kite-flying with the north-easterly tradewinds providing the perfect conditions; and boy, it was blustery over there!

Off the trolley we were finally face-to-face with this legend of Puerto Rican history. You could see the past etched in it's battered facade; in the crumbling stonework, in every fracture and crack,  and it's discolouration, all worn with the heaviness of it's burdens through years and years of unrest.

It was very fitting that we visited these forts not long after having just visited two in Alabama. In the centre of Mobile, AL we went to Fort Conde, which was a small scale reproduction of the fort that used to be there, and had been held by the French, Spanish and British before coming into American possession. We also went to Fort Morgan located on the tip of a peninsula at the mouth of Mobile Bay. It played a large part in the Battle of Mobile Bay during the Civil War and was badly damaged. Those forts were like introductory forts, and the knowledge we gained from them helped us get a feeling for the forts that we would now see in San Juan, which are on a whole new level; a lot bigger, a lot older and have seen way more conflict.

We passed over the old moat via a stone bridge into the threshold. The outer walls are up to 6m thick. Today El Morro has six levels that rise from sea level to 145ft (44m) high and the grounds span 70 acres. But it didn't start off this way. Construction began with a small prototype fort consisting of a 2 level structure with an arched tower, a battery platform and 4 embrasures for cannons in close proximity to the sea. The external walls now swallow the original structure as the site grew larger to meet growing needs. It became one of the largest fortifications built by the Spain in the Caribbean, the result of the efforts of Spanish engineers over a period of more than 250 years.

We came out into a courtyard on the 4th floor of the fort, called the Plaza Principal, surrounded by sunny yellow exterior with white arches accenting each opening. We wandered through the old casemates some of which still contain cannons as they were, pointing out to sea through the embrasures. Some embrasures we could walk through, between the thick walls to the opening, now closed off by a balcony, and gaze over the sides to the sea far below. The restrooms also contained these openings with the balcony, it was a nice unexpected feature, and made it nice and airy.

Without a tour there was a lot of walking around aimlessly and it would've been nice to get a detailed description of features of the fort, but it was still incredible and you could wander almost anywhere through the web of tunnels and passageways, down to the dungeons, up to the roof top, and around the different levels. You could get a real sense of what it was like to be holed up in this place during seiges. There was also a short video of the history of the fort in one of the old prison rooms and some exhibits displaying time lines and historical narratives. My favourite was an exhibit showing "before and now" photographs of military structures around San Juan that would show whether they were still here, damaged or demolished.



We stopped in the small chapel before heading down the steep, long artillery ramp to the Battery of Santa Barbara (named after the Patron Saint of Artillerymen) on the 2nd level. This was a large opened triangular observation area that looked straight out across the ocean. There was an observation deck at the point and down one side you could see semi-circular ... , evidence of where dozens of cannons used to line it's bank. On the other side we could step out into the confined domed garitas and look through the slits to spy oncoming ships, and if you looked closely you could see El Cañuelo across the bay, another smaller fort that was El Morro's partner in defense, though El Morro was always the star of the show. We wandered around another couple of levels that you could access here, went down to the dark dungeon and then proceeded back up the ramp to the Plaza.

Then we headed through the archway of which the three flags of El Morro fly representing the United States, Puerto Rico and the Cross of Burgundy, the old Spanish military flag which was flown at El Morro from 1516-1785. There was another ramp up to the attractive yet incongruous lighthouse tower, the tallest point of the fort at 180ft (55m) high. The tower stands out from the rest of the sandstone structure of the fort and this is because it was built by the Americans in 1908; the original was damaged during the war. From up here there were more views to be had; back toward San Juan we could see the Maria Magdalena cemetery, the colonial-era cemetery, and the bright colours of La Perla, from here, looking very peaceful. There were also more cannon scars on this level.

The tower wasn't the only redesigning the Americans did. During the World Wars, the US used El Morro as an outpost to detect and control hostile water activities. It became part of Fort Brooke for the US Army, a kind of comical country club really. The green lawn in front of El Morro was replaced with baseball diamonds, a hospital, officers' quarters and clubs, a car park, and even a golf course! (Wikipedia). Luckily, though, commonsense prevailed, and in honour of the Quincentennial in 1992 the esplanade was restored to it's original form so that I, and everyone else, can enjoy it as it should be.

*Don't forget to click on the pictures to enlarge them :)

Bienvenido a Puerto Rico: The Island of Enchantment

It's a name most people have heard of but not one that many know much about. Where is it? What's the language? What's it's history and culture? What's the landscape like? Is it safe? These are things people have asked me about Puerto Rico, (when they're not confusing it with Costa Rica), and while the first couple of questions I could answer straight away, the others were a lot more difficulty to define accurately. So it was time to brush up.

The more I read the more I learned what a busy island it really is and has been. It's not just some isolated, remote, backward country, floating somewhere in the Caribbean. It's civilised yet poor, though not as poor as it's central american and Carribean neighbours. Like Miami, the Bahamas and Mexico, it's shores have been compromised by blatant commercialism and truck-loads of tourists. It has a very vibrant history and has played a signifacant role in the history of the Carribean, especially during the Spanish - American wars. It has a melting pot of cultural influences from a confluence of neighbouring and far off lands (including Spanish, Amer-indian, African, and North American). Not just an island, it is an archipelago that inlcudes the main island of PR and a series of smaller islands, including Vieques, where we'll be stationed.

San Juan

Christopher Columbus discovered Puerto Rico in 1493 and named the island San Juan de Bautista. In 1508 his lieutenant Juan Ponce de Leon took control of the island and became the first governor. In 1521, Ponce de Leon laid the foundations of the capital city of San Juan, one of the very first towns built in the Americas.

Throughout the colonial period, the Dutch, the French, and the British made multiple attempts to take control of Puerto Rico, but were ultimately unsuccessful. Puerto Rico plays a strategic role as the gateway to the Carribean, the Spanish set up forts here to protect it's colonies in this area; if you took Puerto Rico you took possession of the Caribbean. Under Spanish rule (which lasted over 400 years) the indigenous population (called Tainos) was forced into slavery and nearly wiped out due to European infectious diseases and brutal force. Finally, the Spanish were defeated in 1898 by the Americans in the Spanish-American War and relinquished control of Puerto Rico, as well as the Phillipines and Guam. The Americans wanted to secure naval bases in strategic locations and had much interest in the Caribbean. The US still retains Guam and PR as territories but the Phillipines gained independence after World War II.

The Puerto Ricans hailed the coming of the Americans, thinking they would free them from the Spanish and pave the way for Independence. Alas, 113 years later and no one knows where the country stands. It is presently an unincorporated territory of the US and whilst the culture remains anchored to the spanish custom, Puerto Ricans are US citizens (though they can not vote in US elections) and US Congress legislates many aspects of Puerto Rican life.

So what now? Will it become independent? Or will it become the 51st State? These are questions Puerto Ricans want answered; they feel as if they are sitting in limbo and opinion seems divided. There are some strong Nationalists who feel cheated by the Americans, and there are those that understand the benefits that being part of America can do for the country - which no doubt, has allowed it to be one of the wealthiest of the Central American/Caribbean nations.

The narrow coastal plain rises into green (low) hills and mountains central and south. A few small rivers and lakes dot the landscape. The climate is usually hot and humid, with some lower temperatures found in the higher elevations. Like most Caribbean islands, Puerto Rico is subject to an occasional hurricane warning (May - October)...Compared to other islands in the Caribbean, Puerto Rico has a high standard of living with a vibrant industrialized economy. (World Atlas)

Puerto Rico has some interesting gems outside the splendour of the colonial cities. The island is mostly mountainous with the main range, the Cadiello Central Range, dividing the island between the  north and south coastal regions. The only tropical rainforest that the US can lay claim to is in El Yunque National forest on the East side, and the karst region in the north contains the third-largest cave system in the world. Of course, there's miles of beaches as well and the surrounding reefs are a diver's paradise. Like many other Caribbean islands, Puerto Rico is the crest of an extinct submarine volcano. Beyond the vibrant shallow waters surrounding the island, about 45 mi (72 km) north, lies the Puerto Rico Trench, at over 28,000 feet (8,500 meters) one of the world's deepest chasms. Uh-oh.

 Interesting Facts:

• the world famous drink, the Piña Colada was invented in a house on Fortaleza Street in Old San Juan
• San Juan is the largest home-based cruise port in the world
• there are more Puerto Ricans living in the rest of the United States than in the island of Puerto Rico itself?
• travel within the United States includes Puerto Rico, and no U.S. passport is necessary
• Puerto Rico uses the American Dollar
• the Plaza Las Americas mall in San Juan is the most profitable mall per square foot in the world (woohoo!)
• Puerto Rico has never had a civil war
• the Common Coquí, or Coquí, a frog native to Puerto Rico, is a very important aspect of Puerto Rican culture and it has become an unofficial territorial symbol of Puerto Rico