Castillo San Cristóbal (Saint Christopher Castle in English) is a fortress in the historic district of Viejo San Juan, Puerto Rico, known as the largest fortification built by the Spanish in the New World. Dating back to defense expansions following attacks by the English in 1598 and the Dutch in 1625, it was first built in 1634 as the Garita del Diablo ("devil’s sentry box") and an artillery platform. Over the next 150 years, especially in the reign of King Charles III of Spain, it continued to be developed into a bastion fort to reach its largest size in 1790. Rising 150 feet from the Atlantic shoreline, the three-level edifice stands on a hill at the northern coastline of San Juan Islet, guarding the land entry to Old San Juan. San Cristóbal, alongside El Morro, La Fortaleza, and 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 Cristóbal 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_Crist%C3%B3bal_(San_Juan)
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.
Tags: Puerto Rico PR UNESCO UNESCO World Heritage Sites La Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Site in Puerto Rico Castillo San Cristóbal National Historic Sites San Juan National Historic Site National Park System Downtowns San Juan Municipality Municipio Autónomo de San Juan San Juan Old San Juan Viejo San Juan San Juan Islet Isleta de San Juan West Indies The Caribbean Caribbean Greater Antilles Latin America North America United States US Spanish Colonial Architecture United States of America
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Morro Castle (Spanish: Castillo de los Tres Reyes Magos del Morro), named after the three biblical Magi, is a fortress guarding the entrance to Havana bay in Havana, Cuba. The design was drawn up by the Italian engineer Juan Bautista Antonelli. Originally under the control of Spain, the fortress was captured by the British in 1762, and was returned to the Spanish under treaty terms a year later.
The Morro fortress in Havana shares its name with structures in Santiago de Cuba and the Castillo de San Felipe del Morro in San Juan, Puerto Rico. In this case, the Spanish "morro" means a rock which is very visible from the sea and therefore serves as a navigational landmark. Perched on the promontory on the opposite side of the harbor from Old Havana, it can be viewed from miles around as it dominates the port entrance. Built initially in 1589 in response to raids on Havana harbor, el Morro protected the mouth of the harbor with a chain being strung out across the water to the fort at La Punta.
Information from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morro_Castle_%28fortress%29
Tags: Cuba Republic of Cuba Ciudad de La Habana Havana City Province Forts Fortifications Havana La Habana The Caribbean Caribbean Greater Antilles Latin America North America UNESCO UNESCO World Heritage Sites Old Havana and its Fortification System República de Cuba CU West Indies Spanish Colonial Architecture
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Built between 1511 and 1514, and featuring mostly Gothic and Renaissance styles, this palace is located near the Río Ozama in the Zona Colonial of Santo Domingo.
It is the only known residence of a member of the Christopher Columbus family in the New World, that of his first-born son Diego Columbus. Columbus's grandchildren Juana, Isabel, Luis and Christopher were born here. Diego Columbus died in Spain in 1526, but María Álvarez de Toledo, his widow, remained there until her death in 1549. Three generations of the Columbus family inhabited the residence, possibly until the late 16th century.
Information from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alc%C3%A1zar_de_Col%C3%B3n
Tags: Dominican Republic Rebública Dominicana DOM Distrito Nacional National District DN Santo Domingo Colonial City of Santo Domingo UNESCO UNESCO World Heritage Sites The Caribbean Caribbean Greater Antilles Latin America Ciudad Colonial Zona Colonial Alcázar de Colón Columbus Alcazar Christopher Columbus Diego Columbus Hispaniola La Española West Indies North America Cristóbal Colón Cristoforo Colombo Spanish Colonial Architecture
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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.
Tags: Puerto Rico PR San Juan Municipality Municipio Autónomo de San Juan San Juan Old San Juan Viejo San Juan San Juan Islet Isleta de San Juan UNESCO UNESCO World Heritage Sites La Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Site in Puerto Rico Castillo San Felipe del Morro National Historic Sites San Juan National Historic Site National Park System West Indies The Caribbean Caribbean Greater Antilles Latin America North America United States US Spanish Colonial Architecture United States of America
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Castillo San Cristóbal (Saint Christopher Castle in English) is a fortress in the historic district of Viejo San Juan, Puerto Rico, known as the largest fortification built by the Spanish in the New World. Dating back to defense expansions following attacks by the English in 1598 and the Dutch in 1625, it was first built in 1634 as the Garita del Diablo ("devil’s sentry box") and an artillery platform. Over the next 150 years, especially in the reign of King Charles III of Spain, it continued to be developed into a bastion fort to reach its largest size in 1790. Rising 150 feet from the Atlantic shoreline, the three-level edifice stands on a hill at the northern coastline of San Juan Islet, guarding the land entry to Old San Juan. San Cristóbal, alongside El Morro, La Fortaleza, and 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 Cristóbal 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_Crist%C3%B3bal_(San_Juan)
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.
Tags: Puerto Rico PR UNESCO UNESCO World Heritage Sites La Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Site in Puerto Rico Castillo San Cristóbal National Historic Sites San Juan National Historic Site National Park System San Juan Municipality Municipio Autónomo de San Juan San Juan Old San Juan Viejo San Juan San Juan Islet Isleta de San Juan West Indies The Caribbean Caribbean Greater Antilles Latin America North America United States US Spanish Colonial Architecture United States of America
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