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SAN
JUAN - PUERTO RICO
San Juan is the capital of the United States commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
The city is located in the northeastern part of the island. San Juan was
founded in 1521 and is regarded as the oldest city in the United States of
America. Today, San Juan serves as Puerto Rico's principal seaport, as well
as the main manufacturing, financial, cultural, and tourist center of the
island.
History
In 1508 Juan Ponce de León founded the original settlement, Caparra, today
known as Pueblo Viejo, behind the almost land-locked harbor just to the west
of the present San Juan metropolitan area. A year later, the settlement was
abandoned and moved to a site which was called at the time Puerto Rico,
meaning "rich port". In 1521, the name of the settlement was reversed with
the name which Christopher Columbus had originally given the island, San
Juan, in honor of John the Baptist.
Old San
Juan is the historical district of the city which lies on a small island
connected to the mainland by bridges and a causeway, characterized by its
narrow cobblestone streets. The buildings in Old San Juan date back to the
16th and 17th century. The oldest parts of the city remain partly enclosed
by massive walls and contains several defensive structures and notable forts,
such as El Morro (begun 1539) and San Cristóbal (17th century), both part of
San Juan National Historic Site, and El Palacio de Santa Catalina, also
known as La Fortaleza (begun in 1533), which now serves as the governor's
mansion. Also on the island where Old San Juan is situated is the Cathedral
of San Juan Bautista (begun in the 1520s), which contains the tomb of the
Spanish explorer and settlement founder Juan Ponce de León.
Subjected to attacks
The city was subject to frequent attacks from the world powers of the time.
The city saw attacks from the English in 1595 by Sir Francis Drake and 1598
led by George Clifford, Earl of Cumberland, which sieged the city but where
forced to abandon it because of exhaustion and sickness. The city was sacked
by the Dutch in 1625. In 1898, United States troops bombed, shelled and
subsequently occupied the city during the Spanish-American War in 1898.
San Juan today
San Juan today extends beyond the walls of the old city, and now encompasses
the surrounding districts. East of Old San Juan lies the hotel and
condominum filled district of Condado. Nearby, are two separate business
districts, Santurce, where The "Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico" (Art Museum of
Puerto Rico) is located and Hato Rey. Hato Rey, which at the turn of the
century was gracing ground for cattle, is now considered the financial
center of the island. A section of this district is often reffered to as the
"Golden Mile", due in part to the many banks and buisnesses which are
located in the area. The headquarters of Banco Popular, the largest Hispanic
bank in the United States, is also located in Hato Rey.
In the southern part of the city is the residential area of Río Piedras,
where the main campus of the University of Puerto Rico is located.
San Juan made an unsuccesful bid for hosting the 2004 Summer Olympics.
Automobile traffic congestion has been a growing concern in the city which
prompted city planners to build a light rail train system dubbed "Tren
Urbano" (The Urban Train), scheduled to be in operation in 2005.
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