Puerto Rico's Fort San Cristobal

One of the reasons why I wanted to visit Puerto Rico was because of the historical Old San Juan and to understand what the island's role in the Spanish-American War (1898). On our first day, we visited Fort San Cristobal.

This huge fortress, begun in 1634 and reengineered in the 1770's, is one of the largest ever built in the America's by Spain. Its walls rise more than 150 feet above the sea - a marvel military engineering. San Cristobal protected San Juan against attackers coming by land as a partner to El Morro (post coming soon about El Morro), to which it is linked by a half-mile of monumental walls and bastions filled with cannon-firing positions. A complex system of tunnels and dry moats connects the center of San Cristobal to its "outworks," defensive elements arranged layer after layer over 27-acre site. (John Marino, Frommer's Puerto Rico, 160)

A part of history merges with the everyday life

Fort San Cristobal

A former strategic battle fortress, now a historical monument

Entrance to San Cristobal

Peeking into history

The Puerto Rican flag (middle)

If you're a watch soldier now, this is your view inside from one of the bunkers

Another view from the same bunker (above)

Walls that have witnessed war, history and time

A tunnel of tunnels

A cannon used to be here

San Cristobal peeking into Old San Juan

Leaving San Cristobal

Fort San Cristobal is a historian's delight. Experiencing and walking through history is one way to spend the warm, balmy afternoons in Old San Juan. Believe me, it's worth the sweat and achy feet.

In 1898 the first shots of the Spanish-American War in Puerto Rico were fired by cannons on top of San Cristobal during an artillery duel with a U.S. Navy fleet. (Marino, 160)

A Winter Album: Feb 2010

It's another snow day meaning I get a paid leave. Today, my office is closed, which gives me time to recuperate from all that shoveling I did yesterday. My body is so sore and I could barely get up this morning. I'm just worried about this Tuesday as we are expecting another snow storm. I took more photos yesterday, and I've compiled a few more photos just to show what it's like out here.

 

Icicles

  

My car

  

Light or Icicles?

  

Snow covered rooftops and buried cars

  

Who would have thought there's a car in there?

  

Not going anywhere

  

There goes the neighborhood

  

The red house stands out 

Snowed In

I think that these photos will speak for themselves. We've gotten so much snow for the past two days that I've just spent the last two hours shoveling. While I warm up and rest my back a little, enjoy the photos.

 

Outlined

  

It was just starting

  

More is coming

  

Humility

  

Backyard flooded

Awaiting relief