Castillo San Felipe del Morro (Promontory Castle of Saint Philip in English), most commonly known as El Morro (The Promontory), is a large fortress and citadel in the historic district of Old San Juan. Commissioned by Carlos I de
España (King Charles I of
Spain) in 1539, it was first built as a fortified tower in honor of King Philip II, who oversaw its expansion into a hornwork fort by 1595. Over the next 200 years, especially in the reign of King Charles III, El Morro continued to be developed to reach its current form in 1787. Rising 140 feet from the Atlantic shoreline with 18- to 25-feet-thick walls, the six-leveled edifice stands on a steep, rocky headland promontory on San Juan Islet guarding the entry to San Juan Bay, the harbor of Old San Juan. El Morro, alongside La Fortaleza,
San Cristóbal, El Cañuelo, and other forts part of the
Walls of Old San Juan, protected strategically and militarily important Puerto Rico, or La Llave de las Indias (The Key to the Indies), from invasion by competing world powers during the Age of Sail. It was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1983.
Castillo San Felipe del Morro is a part of San Juan National Historic Site, which was created by federal decree in 1949. The creation of the National Parks Service unit established the historic site and noted the need for protecting the fortifications as monuments as well as preserving their historical and architectural value. The fortification system was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960, and was further listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.
Information from:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castillo_San_Felipe_del_Morro
San Juan is the capital and largest city of Puerto Rico. Today the city surrounds Bahía de San Juan (San Juan Bay) and extends far into the interior of the Island of Puerto Rico, but historically was situated primarily on the fortified islet of San Juan. Located in the eastern Greater Antilles on the Atlantic Ocean, San Juan is one of the largest and most economically important cities in the Caribbean region. The historic city is the oldest European-established community in the United States, founded by Spanish colonists in 1521. It is home to roughly 340,000 residents and some of the foremost institutions of the island commonwealth.
