Day Five, El Morro

This morning we visited El Morro (the headland), the fortification that guarded the entrance to San Juan Bay, the beginning of the Spanish lands in the Caribbean. Construction on this fort began in 1539. Think about the engineering required to build seven foot thick walls, allow for water drainage from rain, and create ventilation systems for the interior! Soldiers living in this six level fortress kept watch for invading ships and fought with cannons from a high vantage point.



We could see the watch tower at the La Perla fort, by the neighborhood we visited yesterday. The lower tower there was rumored to be "devil's territory", as soldiers on lookout there often mysteriously disappeared.

Today, El Murro is part of the US National Park Service. Three flags fly over the fortress: the Spanish colonial flag, in honor of the heritage of this fortess; the flag of Puerto Rico, to honor the commonwealth; and the United States flag.

Across the bay from El Morro was another fort. At one point, a chain stretched between the two forts and was raised to prevent ships from entering the harbor.

We visited a museum that had two sections. The first showcased history of the area. It was intersting to see that were easy to read explanations provided for young children, at their eye level.

The second part of the museum showcased artifacts related to the culture, such as pottery, textiles, and toys. In the religion section, there was a voodoo altar, acknowledging the African influence. African and Christian beliefs merged in some instances.

We visited the Center for Advanced Studies, where one of our instructors, Ignazio, teaches. It is a small college for master and doctoral degrees. He is very proud of his institution.

We ended our tour by walking out through the old gate that was the entrance to Old San Juan, the gate that three of us visited last night. By day we could see it was painted red and white, to represent the blood of Christ. Again, the importance of religion is incorporated into everday life.