Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
direction: from the fortress walls pocked by cannon fire to the crumbling towers of the sug-
ar refineries that once fired the island's economy. Free-trading colonialists built sparkling
European plazas along streets of the harbor cities, while political revolutionaries plotted
revolt in misty villages along the twisting spine of the central mountains. Those with a pas-
sion for history can wander precolonial Taíno ball courts or steamy coffee plantations, but
even if your interest is scant, it's hard not to get caught up in Puerto Rico's fascinating story.
While hasty development and cycles of boom and bust leave this island a checkerboard of
preservation, the most amazing thing about this island's past is the beguiling weave it cre-
ates with the present.
Big Tree Trail (
Click here
)
, El Yunque
JOHN ELK III / LONELY PLANET IMAGES ©
