Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
sphere. Once the original fortress for the young colony, La Fortaleza eventually yielded its
military preeminence to the city's newer and larger forts, and was remodeled and expanded
to domicile island governors for more than three centuries. You can join a guided tour that
includes the mansion's Moorish gardens, the dungeon and the chapel. Guided tours run on
weekdays except holidays, but the schedule changes daily; you must call on the day you
wish to visit in order to reserve, and be prepared for a security gauntlet.
Casa Blanca
HOUSE MUSEUM
(White House;
Click here
; museum 787-725-1454, tours 787-924-0700;
www.icp.gobierno.pr/myp/museos/m13.htm
;
adult/child $2/1; 9am-noon &
1-4:30pm Tue-Sat)
First constructed in 1521 as a residence for Puerto Rico's pioneering
governor, Juan Ponce de León (who died before he could move in), the Casa Blanca is the
oldest continuously occupied house in the western hemisphere. For the first 250 years after
its construction it served as the ancestral home for the de León family. In 1779 it was taken
over by the Spanish military, then with the change of Puerto Rico's political status in 1898,
it provided a base for US military commanders until 1966. Today it is a historic monument
containing a museum, secluded grounds, a chain of fountains and an Alhambra-style court-
yard. The interior rooms are decked out with artifacts from the 16th to the 20th century.
Cuartel de Ballajá & Museo de las Américas
MUSEUM
( off Norzagaray)
Built in 1854 as a military barracks, the
cuartel
is a three-story edifice
with large gates on two ends, ample balconies, a series of arches and a protected central
courtyard that served as a plaza and covers a reservoir. It was the last and largest building
constructed by the Spaniards in the New World. Facilities included officers' quarters,
warehouses, kitchens, dining rooms, prison cells and stables. Now its 2nd floor holds
the
Museo de las Américas (Museum of the Americas; 787-724-5052;
www.museolasamericas.org
;
adult/child$3/2; 10am-4pmTue-Sat,guidedtoursby
reservation)
, which gives an overview of cultural development in the New World. It fea-
tures changing exhibitions and Caribbean and European American art, most notably an im-
pressive
santos
(small carved figurines representing saints) collection. Hours for both the
barracks and the museum are the same.
Galería Nacional
MUSEUM
( 787-725-2670; adult/child $3/2; 9:30am-noon & 1-5pm Tue-Sat)
Next to the
Iglesia de San José is the former Convento de los Dominicos, a Dominican convent that
