Garita del Diablo

It is a guerite or wall mounted turret called "The Devil's Guerite" located at the Fort Castillo San Cristobal.  This particular guerite is one of the oldest parts of the fort that was built in 1634. 

There are several legends surrounding the guerite, some of them say that soldiers disappeared randomly as they entered it. Today is inaccessible to the general public, but it can be seen from the upper part of the fort.

End of the royal trail where the ocean becomes the bay

This is the end of the "Royal Trail" which begins in ''El Morro''.  It has a beautiful view of the ocean

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San Juan City Hall

This is the San Juan City Hall.  It houses the San Juan's mayor's office.  It was built between XV and XVI Centuries.

 

Its architecture resembles that of the government building of the Municipality of Madrid, Spain.

Parque Luis Muñoz Rivera

Is a 27 acre gem located at the eastern end of the San Juan, Puerto Rico district of Old San Juan in the Puerta de Tierra neighborhood.  It is named after one of the most famous politicians from Puerto Rico.

 It is south of the beautiful Escambron. It is a combination of a park and historical museum. The park is used for different activities. 

Raices Fountain

This fountain is located at the end of the promenade of the Paseo la Princesa in Old San Juan. 

It was commissioned to commemorate the 500th Anniversary of the discovery of America and the Puerto Rican culture. The sculptures represent the sea with the 3 mixed races (Taino indian, African and Spanish) that make up the island's heritage.  It was built in 1991 and opened in 1992. 

Plaza Darsenas

Located at the southern tip of Old San Juan, near Pier 1.  This plaza has a building called “La Casita”, an official tourist information center in Old San Juan.

 Is a popular starting point for visitors taking a walking tour of Old San Juan. Is a great respise area for relaxation and conversation from where you can see the bay and the ferry of Cataño.

Casino de Puerto Rico

It was built in 1913 at the request of San Juan’s mayor Francisco del Valle Atiles to establish a new social club in the city.  It was inaugurated in 1917.  During World War II , the building was used as an officers' club by the United States Army.

In 1946, it was transfered to the Escuela Libre de Musica Ernesto Ramos Antonini and by 1955, it became the first headquarters of the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña.. Since 2010, the facility is part of the Convention District.  In 1977 the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  It is located at avenida Ponce de Leon.

Teatro Tapia

This theater is named after the Puerto Rican poet and playwright Alejandro Tapia y Rivera.  It is among the oldest free-standing drama stage buildings under U.S flag . It was built in 1821 and opened in 1832. It was designed in the italian style as a horeshoe opera house.

The Tapia Theater is located in front of Plaza Colon at the corner of Ponce de Leon Avenue and Fortaleza Street.

Albizu y los Pitirres

Famous painting at Calle San Sebastian made in honor of Pedro Albizu Campos

It is pasted on a wall next to casa Borinken. Albizu Campos is important because he fought for independence in Puerto Rico. 

Pablo Casals Museum

This museum is devoted to the famous Spanish cellist Pablo Casals who lived in Puerto Rico in the 1950's.  The museum talks about his legacy and it is a full of his memorabilia.

It is located at San Jose Plaza. The building that dates back to the 18th century.

Iglesia San Jose

San Jose Church was built  as a monastery by Dominican friars in the 1530's.   It is one of the first significant works of architecture and is the second oldest church in the Americas.  The church is located at San Jose Plaza next to Plaza del Quinto Centenario and is one of the oldest structures in the city. 

 The famous Puerto Rican artist Jose Campeche is buried at the church and for a while Juan Ponce de Leon was also buried at this church.  In 2013, it was added to the National Trust for Historic Preservations list of America’s 11 most endangered Historic Places.

Polvorín Santa Elena

El Polvorín de Santa Elena is where the Spaniards used to store their weapons and gunpowder.

It is located in the grounds of Castillo San Felipe del Morro.

Plaza de las Monjas

This small "plaza" is one of the oldest places in San Juan.  It overlooks the historic San Juan cathedral.
 

The "plaza" is located in front of El Convento Hotel, between Museo del Niño and La Casa del Cabildo.

Tito Curet Alonso Statue

This statue commemorates the famous music composer Tito Curet Alonso at Plaza de Armas in Old San Juan. His real name was Catalino Curet Alonso and his music has been performed by many music legends of salsa, bolero and latin jazz . 

They made a statue of him sitting on his favorite bench at Plaza de Armas

Plaza Arturo Somohano

Plaza Arturo Somohano is named in honor of a musical composer and director of the

San Juan Symphony Orchestra.

It is located behind the Teatro Tapia and surrounded by restaurants. It is also home to artisans that sell homemade crafts.

La Princesa Prison

This photo shows the entrance of La Princesa Prison  prison, it was built in 1837 by the Spaniards and had a capacity for 240 inmates.

The prison was operating until the 20th century but now houses the PR Tourism Company.  This is the prison where famous nationalist Pedro Albizu Campos was imprisoned and is said to have been tortured by the government.

El Hamburger

El Hamburger is the place to go if you want to enjoy the best homemade burgers on the island.  Is an informal restaurant that is a good spot for lunch when visiting the city.   It is located right at the entrance of Old San Juan across from the most amazing view of the Atlantic Ocean.

El Capitolio

The Capitol is the building that houses the legislative branch of the government of Puerto Rico, it was built in 1929.

Castillo de San Cristobal

Castillo San Cristobal was part of the Spanish defenses of Old San Juan, it was designed to protect the walled city from Land attacks, it was built during the XVII century. It is the largest fortification built by the Spanish in the New World.

Main entrance to Castillo San Cristobal

Side View of Castillo San Cristobal from Plaza Colon

Plaza Colon

The main feature of this "plaza" is a statue made out of marble built in honor of Christopher Columbus. This Plaza was built in 1893 on the occasion of the 400 anniversary of the discovery of Puerto Rico by Columbus.

Centro de Estudios Avanzados de PR y del Caribe

This shows the entrance of Centro de Estudios Avanzados.  It is a school that offers master and doctoral degrees in history, archaeology and literature of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.

Plaza San Jose

Plaza San Jose is one of the main squares ("plaza") and an important meeting place in San Juan.  It has a monument made in honor of ''Santo Domingo de Guzman. The Plaza also has the San Jose Church and the Statue of Puerto Rico's first Governor Juan Ponce De Leon. The arm of the governor's statue points to Caparra, the first town of Puerto Rico, which was founded by him.

Galeria Nacional

Galeria Nacional is an Art Gallery located inside a former Dominican convent.  It houses a large collection of Puerto Rican paintings from the eighteenth to the twentieth century.

Liga de Artes

Liga de Artes is an Art Museum and school in the community of Ballajá.  They offer a variety of art classes and workshops to adults and children.

Bastion de San Fernando

Bastion de San Fernando is located near El Morro.  It protected the entrance to the bay of San Juan in the time of the Spaniards.  It had 4 cannons.

Castillo San Felipe del Morro

Castillo San Felipe del Morro is a Spanish fortification to protect the entry into the bay and the colonial City of San Juan from enemy attacks.  Its construction stated in 1539 but was not fully completed until 1767.

It is named in honor of King Phillip the 2 of Spain.  In 1983 it was declared a World Heritage site.  It is one of Puerto Rico's most important tourist attractions that receives over 2 million visitors a year.

Museo Felisa Rincon

It was the home of long time mayor of San Juan Felisa Rincón de Gautier now converted into a museum.  She resided there for more than 20 years. It is located near the cathedral and puerta de San Juan.

Museo del Niño

Museo del Niño used to be a museum for children to go and have fun while learning a lot of things.  Unfortunately it has recently closed and the building is now up for sale.

San Juan Cathedral

The San Juan Cathedral is a Roman Catholic Cathedral in San Juan. It was the first church built in Puerto Rico, and the second oldest church in the Americas.  The current one was built in 1540 to replace one that was destroyed during a Hurricane.

Plaza del Quinto Centenario

Located next to El Cuartel de Ballajá, this plaza commemorates the Quincentennial of Puerto Rico’s discovery. It was inaugurated on October 12, 1992, to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's  maiden voyage to the Americas. 

A totem sits at the center of the very large square. This sculpture is meant to represent the 500 years of Puerto Rican post-Columbian history.