Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Slowly but methodically, the clean-up campaign continues still. Furthermore, after
decades of heavy shelling, various health and environmental bodies have reported
that Vieques' eastern beaches are heavily contaminated and that its citizens have a
cancer rate 27% higher than the Puerto Rican average.
You can track the status of the navy's clean-up of the island at
ISABEL SEGUNDA
A calm yet hardworking coastal town dotted over low hills on Vieques' north coast, non-
touristy Isabel Segunda is the island's administrative center and capital. Sometimes busy,
sometimes quiet - depending on ferry activity - the town is more urban than anything on
Culebra (though that's not saying much). Lines of cars disgorge daily at the dock, teenagers
grab free wi-fi in the underutilized central square, and a handful of snazzy new restaurants
pull in a burgeoning stream of affluent American visitors.
Though less beguiling than its southern rival Esperanza, Isabel II is no ugly duckling.
Named for the enigmatic Spanish queen who reigned between 1833 and 1868, the town
is the island's oldest settlement, founded in 1843, and showcases a handful of historical
sights, including an 1896 lighthouse and the last Spanish fort to be built in the Americas.
Isabel Segunda hosts the bulk of the island's services. But with only 5000 residents and
more wild horses than wine waiters, it's a long way from sparkling modernity.
El Faro de Punta Mulas
SCENIC OUTLOOK
One of Puerto Rico's 16 historic lighthouses, this pastel-shaded historic monument stands
on the hilly point just north of the Isabel Segunda ferry dock. Built in 1896, it was restored
in 1992 and contains a small museum that's open irregularly. Come for the vista and sunset,
not the exhibition - a rather paltry collection of photos and artifacts depicting local mari-
time history, island history and natural history of the coast.
