On the tip of Old San Juan, you’ll find Fort San Felipe del Morro, better known as El Morro. A 16th century citadel constructed to protect the town from attack by sea, El Morro is one of the highlights of any tour of the old city, a rocky web of tunnels and barracks, towers and prisons. Probably the most famous monument from Spanish colonial times, the fortress stands out on a rocky islet, forever a reminder of a different age.
El Morro history began in 1539 by Spanish settlers and
took about 50 years before it was fully functional. Named
after King Phillip II of Spain,
the Puerto Rico El Morro design has little difference
from similar fortifications found on the other former
Spanish colonies spread throughout the Caribbean. Cuba,
the Dominican Republic
and even Acapulco
once had fortresses similar to those found here. But over
the course of 400 years of El Morro history, the fort’s
many complex and fascinating additions have changed the
citadel such that it is truly one of a kind. El Morro
is now a World Heritage Site and covers over 70 acres
of the craggy northwestern tip of San
Juan.
Puerto Rico El Morro rises almost 150 in the air and
features a number of garitas – dome covered sentry
outposts that have become one of the defining icons of
the island itself. El Morro’s long list of successes
repelling foreign attacks also adds to the fort’s
legend. Effectively defending the city from both the English
and the Dutch over the course of many years, El
Morro history is heavily scrutinized inside the museum
that now calls the fort home, its primary function to
detail the most important battles that took place off
the shores of San Juan. The fort last saw action during
a naval bombardment in 1898, during the Spanish-American
War. After the U.S.’s eventual success in this skirmish,
Puerto Rico was handed over as part of reparations, and
El Morro history since then has been peaceful –
the conversion from military outpost to celebrated monument
was a slow and uneventful one.
Nowadays, Puerto Rico El Morro is one of the most visited tourist attractions on the island. Overlooking Old San Juan on one side and the azure Caribbean on the other, El Morro is a haven for picture ops, and photos taken here are found on just about every postcard available in the San Juan area. It’s relatively inexpensive to stroll throughout the old ramparts, costing less than $5 and providing an afternoon worth of entertainment. You can also buy a combo ticket that gains you entrance in both El Morro and the nearby Fuerte San Cristobal for discounted prices.
