San Juan - Puerto Rico - page 99

in a 1966 nonfiction book called La Vida by American anthropologist Oscar Lewis. Lewis
detailed the tragic cycle of poverty and prostitution lived out by people growing up in La
Perla and won a National Book Award for his efforts, though his views weren't particularly
welcomed by the quarter's long-suffering residents.
Generally speaking, the cautionary advice on La Perla is pertinent. This is a gritty, high-
crime neighborhood with a seemingly incurable drug problem and it would be unwise for a
foreigner to wander around.
But hidden among the decrepitude lies a community center, a senior citizens' home,
some abstract murals and a handful of talented local artists. Then there's the shabby mag-
nificence of the houses themselves - the turbulent blues, the glinting greens and the foamy
browns - that seem pulled right from the ocean.
During the mid-2000s, the Puerto Rican government made regular (unsuccessful) bids to
buy out La Perla's residents and redevelop the area.
PUERTA DE TIERRA
Less than 2 miles in length and only one-quarter of a mile broad, this district occupies the
lowland, filling the rest of the area that was colonial San Juan. Puerta de Tierra takes its
name from its position as the 'gateway of land' leading up to the walls of Old San Juan,
which was the favored route of land attack by waves of English and Dutch invaders. For
centuries, Puerta de Tierra was a slum much like La Perla, although far less picturesque. It
was a place where free blacks and multiracial people lived, excluded from the protection of
the walled city where the Spaniards and criollos (islanders of European descent) postured
like European gentry and maneuvered for political favor.
Today the district is a major driveway for cars entering Old San Juan. There's a housing
project here on the south side, but the north coast is the most dramatic oceanside vista in
the metropolitan area. Overlooking the wild spectacle of Balneario Escambrón you'll find
the Romanesque Capitolio, the Fuerte San Gerónimo and the sun-dappled Parque Muñoz
Rivera. The road is a popular jogging route in the day time but is best negotiated by taxi at
night.
Fuerte San Gerónimo FORT
This half-forgotten fort is situated at the east end of Puerta de Tierra and was completed
in 1788 to guard the entrance to Laguna del Condado (Condado Lagoon). It was barely up
and running in 1797 when the British came marching through on their way to San Juan
and a short-lived occupation. Restored in 1983, San Gerónimo today is hemmed in by tall
modern hotels, but is still worth a closer look. Entered via the walkway behind the Caribe