Castillo San Felipe del Morro

El Morro stands on the headland where San Juan bay meets the Atlantic, begun in the sixteenth century and built up over two hundred years into six levels of ramparts, tunnels, ramps and sentry boxes rising some forty metres above the water. Its guns commanded the only channel into the harbour, and it held off repeated attacks; the walls are metres thick and the garitas, the domed stone sentry boxes on the corners, have become the island's emblem, appearing on number plates and souvenirs everywhere. It is part of a World Heritage listing that also covers the larger Castillo San Cristóbal on the landward side and the city walls between them. In front of the fort spreads a huge green esplanade where families fly kites every weekend.

History

Charles I of Spain commissioned it in 1539, when La Fortaleza proved badly placed to guard the bay, and on the advice of Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo a battery of a tower with four embrasures and a water battery for three guns went up on the rocky headland; by 1555 it had eight bronze cannon against French privateers, and it was named for Philip II, under whom it grew into a hornwork bastion fort by 1595. Portuguese soldiers sent from Lisbon formed its first garrison in 1593, Sir Francis Drake attacked San Juan without success in 1595, the Earl of Cumberland took the city by land in 1598, and in 1625 the Dutch under Boudewijn Hendricksz slipped past it into the harbour but could not take the castle, though they sacked and set fire to the city before they left; in 1797 a British force under Ralph Abercromby was beaten off. Developed over two centuries, especially under Charles III, it reached its present form in 1787, its last fight was the United States naval bombardment of 1898, it then became part of the US Army post of Fort Brooke, and in 1983 it was declared a World Heritage Site with the San Juan National Historic Site (Wikipedia, Castillo San Felipe del Morro).

The main sights

• The six levels - ramps, tunnels and gun platforms rising above the channel.
• The garitas - the domed stone sentry boxes that became the island's symbol.
• The great lawn - the esplanade where San Juan flies kites at weekends.
• Castillo San Cristóbal - the larger landward fortress, on the same ticket.

When to go

December to April is the dry season and the most comfortable; the fort is exposed with almost no shade, so mornings are far better than midday. Weekend afternoons on the lawn, with kites everywhere, are the most enjoyable time to see it in use rather than just visit it.

Practical notes

It is entirely exposed to sun and wind, with steep ramps and stairs between levels and little shade anywhere, so water and a hat matter. Cruise ship days fill the old town and the fort. The lower levels close earlier than the upper. Combining both forts in one day is a lot of walking in heat.

Nearby

Old San Juan's blue cobbled streets begin at the gate; La Fortaleza and the cathedral are minutes away.

Key facts