La Fortaleza

La Fortaleza was begun in the 1530s as the first fortification of San Juan bay, was quickly judged badly sited for defence, and was converted instead into the governor's residence, which it has remained ever since, making it the oldest executive mansion still in use anywhere in the Americas. Its blue-and-white facade rises straight out of the old city wall above the harbour, and behind it are courtyards, a chapel, gardens and rooms of Spanish colonial and later furnishing. It forms part of the same World Heritage listing as El Morro and San Cristóbal. Tours are free but run at fixed times with limited numbers and require identification, and they are cancelled without notice for official business, so it pays to go early and check.

History

From 1529 Governor La Gama pressed the emperor for defences, since the island's weakness was driving people away, and the fort was built in stone from 1533 to 1540 on the orders of Charles I, the first fortification on the San Juan islet; it had no guns, and Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo remarked that blind men could not have chosen a worse site. It has nevertheless housed the governor since 1544, the oldest executive mansion in continuous use in the Americas, and foreign forces have taken it three times: the Earl of Cumberland in 1598, the Dutch under Boudewijn Hendricksz in 1625, who set it and the city ablaze as they withdrew, and the United States in 1898. It was remodelled in 1846 in its present Neoclassical style on the orders of Governor Rafael Arístegui, tradition says the last Spanish governor stopped a clock in it with his sword in 1898 to mark the end of Spanish rule, and on 30 October 1950 it was attacked in the San Juan Nationalist revolt (Wikipedia, La Fortaleza).

Highlights

• The blue-and-white facade - the palace rising from the old city wall.
• The courtyards and chapel - the interior spaces on the guided route.
• The gardens - the terraced grounds above the bay.
• The city wall - the ramparts the palace is built into.

When to go

December to April is the pleasant season. Tours run at set times on weekdays only, in Spanish and English, and stop entirely when the residence is in official use, so check the day's schedule at the gate or by phone before planning around it.

Good to know

It is a working official residence, so access is limited, tours are short, cancellations are common and photography is restricted in parts. You must bring identification. Only a portion of the building is shown. If the schedule does not work, the exterior from Calle Fortaleza with its famous canopy of umbrellas or flags overhead is still worth the walk.

Nearby

El Morro is at the end of the peninsula; the cathedral and Paseo de la Princesa are minutes away.

Key facts