Viejo San Juan
🕑 Added 2020-09-12 14:51:36 +0000 UTC
The capital of Puerto Rico, San Juan ranks high on the list of most historic cities in the New World, with early explorers establishing a settlement there 15 years after Columbus’s monumental first voyage. The city has been the scene of many historic events, from naval battles to pirate attacks. Modern San Juan, now a top Caribbean tourism destination, embraces its long and fascinating history.
Early Settlement
The first settlement on the island of Puerto Rico was Caparra, founded in 1508 by Juan Ponce de León, a Spanish explorer and conquistador best remembered for his quixotic quest to find the Fountain of Youth in 16th-century Florida. Caparra was deemed unsuitable for a long-term settlement, however, and the residents soon moved to an island a short distance to the east, to the present site of Old San Juan.
Rise to Importance
The new city of San Juan Batista de Puerto Rico quickly became famous for its good location and port, and it rose to importance in the colonial administration. Alonso Manso, the first bishop to arrive in the Americas, became bishop of Puerto Rico in 1511. San Juan became the first ecclesiastical headquarters for the New World and served as the first base for the Inquisition as well. By 1530, barely 20 years after its founding, the city supported a university, a hospital, and a library.
Piracy
San Juan quickly came to the attention of Spain’s rivals in Europe. The first attack on the island took place in 1528, when the French razed several outlying settlements, leaving only San Juan intact. Spanish troops started building San Felipe del Morro, a formidable castle, in 1539. Sir Francis Drake and his men attacked the island in 1595 but were held off. In 1598, however, George Clifford and his force of English privateers managed to capture the island, remaining for several months before illness and local resistance drove them away. That was the only time El Morro castle was ever captured by an invading force.
The 17th and 18th Centuries
San Juan declined somewhat after its initial importance, as wealthier cities such as Lima and Mexico City thrived under the colonial administration. It continued to serve as a strategic military location and port, however, and the island produced significant sugarcane and ginger crops. It also became known for breeding fine horses, prized by Spanish conquistadors campaigning on the mainland. Dutch pirates attacked in 1625, capturing the city but not the fort. In 1797, a British fleet of approximately 60 ships attempted to take San Juan but failed in what is known on the island as “The Battle of San Juan.”
Read more about the history of Old San Juan here
Comments
M M
Been missing your posts! 😍
Jay Hammye
Beautiful
M M
❤❤❤
Jose Rivera
Love them legs and pictures. Thanks for sharing the history and facts of our beautiful island. Love you
David Highfill
Wow, just wow. You really need to post some nudes, tho
Matthew Affinito
Fascinating. Thank you for sharing
Kevin
Very interesting thank you
PowderedToastMan
Wow you look beautiful. That color looks great on you.
Carlos
Very beautiful, eloquent, elegance, classic look. I love it. Thanks for sharing. My beautiful friend ❤💜💜🥰🥰💋💋💋😘😘🙌🙌
Steven Malc
I had occasion to visit there once and found it quite beautiful... although not as beautiful as it must be when you're there, Danielle...
