Exotic, without any swaggering for the exuberant beauty of its surroundings, the Old San Juan, a Puerto Rican treasure, shows the visitors its contrasting charms and its intimate essence as a proud tourist adornment of the Caribbean.

In this dazzling picture of enchanting shapes and colors, colonial history and modern times interlace themselves in singular combination of edifices that have defied centuries and stone-paved streets, along which fast upbeat cars run. Shops, galleries, squares, malls, bars and restaurants, among which a boisterous youth moves about, make up the general setting in this small city, a wonderful place in the Antilles chosen by lovers, business people and tourists.

Brief History The origin of San Juan, Puerto Rico’s capital, dates back to 1508. Late that year, Don Juan Ponce de Leon received the order from the Hispaniola Governor Fray Nicolas de Ovando to found Caparra, the island’s first seat of government. The difficult access and unhealthy conditions of the place forced the autho­rities to move the city a little further island into to the capital’s islet. In 1511 by order of Pope Julio II the settle­ment received the official title of City of San Juan, having St. John Baptist as it Patron Saint. The primitive island of Borinquen, and then San Juan Bautista, became Puerto Rico (rich port) as time went on. Since its foundation and up till the 16th century civic action in Old San Juan centered around Main Square, also called the Nuns' Square. Old San Juan was stricken by ravaging poverty in its beginning. By mid 17th century it began to undergo an economic surge, spurred by the Barcelona Co. and for having turned into the focal point for the distribution of black slaves, particularly to Venezuela. During the 17th and 18th centuries trade with Spain was practically inexistent. Today, San Juan is the main center for economic and commercial activity. The Old San Juan As of 1521 San Juan has been Puerto Rico's capital. One of the capital's highlights is the Old San Juan, honored and protected as a Heritage of Humanity, as an acknowledgement to its valuable buildings, houses and fortresses, which are among the best preserved in former Spanish colonial cities. You can start your walk to please your interest at the historical Square of Arms, and then go down any of the main arteries, either Cristo, San Francisco or Fortaleza streets, where boisterous action is never ending at any time of day or night at the weekends in particular. In the Square of Arms, the initial settlers carried out their military training to defend themselves from assaults and attacks by pirates and corsairs. Carefully refurbished in the 16th century, it became then the main center for social gathering. The Mayor's Office, finished in 1789, was built after the one in Madrid. The colonial building, with the same function nowadays, harbors a tourist information bureau and a small gallery for temporary exhibits. If you want to walk back through history, you can lead your steps down the hill of Cristo Street to the San Juan Cathedral. Constructed in 1540 and refurbished in the 19th century, the Cathedral proudly shows the visitors the marble tomb of San Juan's first governor. Going further down the hill, once you leave Fortaleza Street behind, you come to the Book House, a small museum and library, devoted to books as a form of art. At the end of the street stands the Chapel of Christ. Next to the chapel and the wall, the Park of the Pigeons, with its rows of lined trees, offers a seat for whoever wants to admire those birds or take a lovely glimpse at the Bay of San Juan. From the intersection of San Sebastian and Cristo streets you can admire the House of the Buttresses, the city's oldest edifice still standing. It was built in the 18th century. Not far, at the San Jose Square, the Pablo Casals' Museum exhibits manuscripts, photographies and videos of Casals' concerts. The Church of St. Joseph with its Dominican Chapel is nearby, the second oldest in the Western Hemisphere. Ponce de Leon's descendants are buried here. The Dominican Convent, next to the church, was founded in 1500. It harbors today the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture. If you keep walking down you come to the Square of the Fifth Centennial. A few meters ahead you find the huge Ballaja Headquarters, once home of the Spanish troops and their families. The Museum of the Americas on the second level provides a broad vision of the elevated cultural development of the New World. Further on, the San Felipe del Morro Fortress stands proud in time, a compact unit of thick walls made of blocks that rises 140 feet above sea level in the Bay of San Juan. This military fortification harbors a museum, but in times gone by it put up staunch defense in protecting the city from external attacks. Bordering the bay, in Recinto Oeste Street a palace-like edifice surrounded by gardens still shows its glamor. It's simply called the Fortress. Close by, the Felisa Rincon Gautier Museum opens its doors to visitors. It was the residence of one of San Juan governors. A prominent bronze statue, sculptured by Lindsay Daen, pays tribute to the bishop and the faithful in prayers. As the legend goes, with their chanting and torches they frightened the British troops in their aborted assault in 1797. Right from that point you can take a marvellous view of the Bay of San Juan, for centuries one of the New World's most important ports. Today it is the Caribbean's busiest harbor, with container ships coming in and out, carrying half the merchandise traded in the region. It also welcomes cruise liners that bring in more than a million occasional tourists a year. After putting an end to a pleasure tour in Old San Juan, the visitor will be pleased by having come in contact with the mistery of one Caribbean city where colonial history and the advances of modern times, in singular paradox, are present with an irresistible force.

“Today, San Juan is the main center for economic and commercial activity”.