Fort San Felipe del Morro Castle, Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

"If you entrench yourself behind strong fortifications, you compel the enemy seek a solution elsewhere." Carl von Clausewitz

The second stop on our walking tour of Old San Juan was the impressive Fort San Felipe del Morro Castle. This is the oldest fortification on the island and sits atop a coastal cliff overlooking the San Juan Harbor. This old fort has kept watch over San Juan protecting her for over 500 years. Construction began on the citadel in 1539, and completed in 1790 under the direction of conquistador, Diego Ramos de Orozco and for over 400 years continuous improvements were made on her.

As we walked up the hill on the sidewalk from Castillo San Cristobal, passed the historic shanty town, La Perla on the northern coast with its colorful homes and the beautifully painted basketball court, to Fort San Felipe del Morro Castle which was named in honor of King Philip II of Spain. There was a Saturday market going on the street just below the fort with white canopies set up by the locals selling their wares, including fruits, jams, breads, cakes, kites, and many homemade crafty items. After wading through the crowds, we got to the start of the esplanade.

We stopped walking and took in the stunning scenery that stood before us. The view of the fort was spectacular with the sprawling sloping bright green grass fields in the forefront where the soldiers once marched. Now it is filled with families enjoying the day flying kites, picnics, and taking their dogs out for a run.

The long wide walkway up to the fortification was a bit of a hike but on the way we got to enjoy watching all the families enjoying the day and take in the full magnitude and size of this military installation. Just before entering the fort, we had the pleasure of seeing quite a few Iguanas that were scooting up the wall and one that even posed for a picture very near to Joe. A local warned us to watch his tail as they are known to whip it around for protection.

When we approached the gate, the park rangers greeted us and let us know that it was free with our National Park pass. We got the pass when we visited another national park, where we found out Joe was entitled to one for free for serving our country in the armed forces. Otherwise it costs $10 to get to see this fortification and Castillo San Cristobal. It is more than worth the price.

This six level fort that once sat on over 70 acres during its heyday features, barracks for the soldiers, lighthouse, dungeons, storerooms, kitchen, prison, and more all behind the 20 foot thick walls built to protect the city. The lighthouse was built by the Spanish and is the oldest lighthouse on the island. This structure looked so opposing from the sea that it helped to intimidate the attackers just by its size. Walking around the fort, you can imagine all the soldiers in the past running around doing their duty. Going up and down all the steps, made me realize what great shape these men had to be in.

Three flags fly high above the top level of the fort that were flown there in the years past. The Cross of Burgundy is an Old Spanish military flag that flew over the fort from 1539-1785, the flag of Puerto Rico, and the United States of Americas flag. The views from that level of the coastline and city are breathtaking.

The fortress had seen much action over the years but was never defeated. Back in 1595, the fort was attacked by Sir Francis Drake. In 1898, during the Spanish-American War, the United States took control of Puerto Rico from the Spanish making Puerto Rico a US territory. At that time the fort was designated as Fort Brooke and was used by the US during the first and second world wars. It is hard to imagine that between 1898 – 1961 the large grassy field in front of the fortress was used for baseball diamonds, hospitals, officers quarters, officers club, and even a golf course.

In 1961, the US retired El Morro and gave it to the National Park Service to establish a museum. Then in 1983, El Morro and the walled city of San Juan was declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The fort is open seven days a week from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. This is a must see while in San Juan.

Take care. Till next time; bye for now.