Caparra Ruins

Juan Ponce de León founded Caparra in 1508 as the first Spanish settlement on Puerto Rico, and it lasted about a decade before the population moved to the islet that became San Juan, where the harbour was better and the air healthier. What remains are the stone foundations of the governor's house and a few associated structures, excavated in the 1930s, with a small museum beside them holding artefacts from the site. It sits beside a busy highway in Guaynabo.

What you actually see

• The foundations - stone remains of the governor's house from 1508.
• The museum - artefacts recovered from the excavations, in a building alongside.
• The excavated outlines - the plan of the earliest Spanish settlement on the island.
• The setting - a national historic landmark beside a modern highway.

When to go

Year round; the site keeps daytime hours and the museum closes on some days. Mornings are quietest. There is little shade on the site.

Honest expectations

Only foundations remain and the visit takes half an hour. The setting beside a major road is unattractive and noisy. The museum is small and its hours are unreliable.

Nearby

Old San Juan is northeast, and San Juan's centre surrounds it.