Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
station that was the last place to house Spanish military forces after the US victory in the
Spanish-American War. Today the arsenal is home to the fine- and decorative-arts divisions
of the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, and hosts periodic exhibitions in three galleries.
Plaza de Colón
SQUARE
(Columbus Plaza;
Click here
)
Tracing its roots back more than a century to the 400-year
anniversary of the first Columbus expedition, the Plaza de Colón lies across the street from
the lower part of Fuerte San Cristóbal. The city wall at this end of Old San Juan was torn
down in 1897, and the plaza, with its statue of the 'Discoverer' atop a pillar, stands on the
site of one of the city's original gated entries, Puerta Santiago. Today the plaza acts as a
gateway to much of the traffic entering the city from Av Muñoz Rivera. Buses and taxis
congregate on the plaza's south side.
Casa Rosa
NOTABLE BUILDING
(Pink House;
Click here
)
Built as a barracks for the Spanish militia in the early 19th cen-
tury, this tropical villa in the field leading up to El Morro long served as officers' quarters.
The structure has since been restored and now serves as a plush day-care facility for the
children of government employees.
Plaza del Quinto Centenario
SQUARE
It's surprising to find such a modern square shoehorned in among all the architectural an-
tiques, but this small plaza was built in 1992 to honor the 500-year anniversary of Chris-
topher Columbus' first voyage to the Americas. Constructed for a rumored cost of $10 mil-
lion and decorated with a craning totem pole - El Tótem Telúrico - of ambiguous signific-
ance, the plaza offers great views over El Morro and the ocean and, from a distance, blends
in subtly with the surrounding buildings.
LA PERLA
Wedged tightly between the roaring Atlantic surf and San Juan's thick perimeter walls, the
compact neighborhood of La Perla marks a rather odd juxtaposition. In truth, this ram-
shackle hodgepodge of pastel-colored houses and steep, narrow access roads is one of
Puerto Rico's most notorious slums - though, as slums go, it's remarkably picturesque (at
least, from a distance).
The standard advice given out by San Juan tour companies is for tourists to steer well
clear of La Perla, a potentially dangerous barrio whose international infamy was cemented
