Museo de las Américas

The Cuartel de Ballajá was built in 1854 as barracks for Spanish troops and their families, a three-storey block around a huge courtyard, one of the last major buildings Spain put up in the Americas. It now holds the Museo de las Américas, whose permanent exhibitions cover the folk arts of the hemisphere, the indigenous peoples of the Americas, the African heritage that shaped the Caribbean, and the conquest and colonisation. The folk art collection is the strongest, with masks, textiles, ceramics and santos gathered across the continent. The building itself is worth the visit: the courtyard is enormous and largely empty, with the fort and the old city visible beyond the arcades.

What you actually see

• The folk art collection - masks, textiles and carving from across the Americas.
• The African heritage rooms - the Caribbean's West African inheritance.
• The indigenous exhibition - peoples of the hemisphere, including the Taíno.
• The Ballajá courtyard - the vast arcaded space the barracks are built around.

When to go

Year-round; the interior is cool and it is a good option in heat or rain. Closed on Mondays. Cruise days fill Old San Juan but this museum stays quieter than the forts either side of it.

Honest expectations

The building is grand but partly underused, and the museum occupies only some of it. Labels are largely in Spanish with uneven English. Exhibitions rotate and the collection on show can be smaller than expected. It is a steep uphill walk from the waterfront.

Nearby

El Morro is next door; Casa Blanca and the cathedral are a short walk.