San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan is the capital of the United States commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The city is located in the northeastern part of the island. San Juan was founded in 1521 and is regarded as the oldest city in the United States of America. Today, San Juan serves as Puerto Rico's principal seaport, as well as the main manufacturing, financial, cultural, and tourist center of the island.
History
In 1508 Juan Ponce de León founded the original settlement, Caparra, now known as Pueblo Viejo, behind the almost land-locked harbor just to the west of the present San Juan metropolitan area. A year later, the settlement was abandoned and moved to the site of which was called Puerto Rico, meaning "rich port". In 1521, the name of the settlement was reversed with the name which Christopher Columbus had originally given the island, San Juan, in honor of John the Baptist.
Old San Juan is the historical district of the city which lies on a small island connected to the mainland by bridges and a causeway, characterized by its narrow cobblestone streets. The buildings in Old San Juan date back to the 16th and 17th century. The oldest parts of the city remain partly enclosed by massive walls and contains several defensive structures and notable forts, such as El Morro (begun 1539) and San Cristóbal (17th century), both part of San Juan National Historic Site, and El Palacio de Santa Catalina, also known as La Fortaleza (begun in 1533), which now serves as the governor's mansion. Also on the island where Old San Juan is situated is the Cathedral of San Juan Bautista (begun in the 1520s), a Gothic structure that contains the tomb of the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León.
Subjected to attacks
The city was subject to frequent attacks from the world powers of the time. The city saw attacks from the English in 1595 by Sir Francis Drake and 1598 led by George Clifford, Earl of Cumberland, which sieged the city but where forced to abandon it because of exhaustion and sickness. The city was sacked by the Dutch in 1625. In 1898, United States troops bombed, shelled and subsequently occupied the city during the Spanish-American War in 1898.
San Juan today
San Juan today extends beyond the walls of the old city, and now encompasses the surrounding districts. East of Old San Juan lies the hotel and condominum filled district of Condado. Nearby, are two separate business districts, Santurce, where The "Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico" (Art Museum of Puerto Rico) is located and Hato Rey, a section of which is often reffered to as the "Golden Mile", due to the many banks and buisnesses which have offices in the area including Banco Popular, the largest Hispanic bank in the United States. In the southern part of the city is the residential area of Río Piedras, which contains the main campus of the University of Puerto Rico, founded in 1903. The city made an unsuccesful bid for hosting the 2004 Summer Olympics. Automobile traffic congestion has been a growing concern in the city which prompted city planners to build a light train system dubbed "Tren Urbano" (The Urban Train), scheduled to be in operation in 2005.
Current mayor: Jorge Santini (PNP)
See also
- Old San Juan
- Coro de Ninos de San Juan - San Juan Children's Choir
