MUST SEE: La Fortaleza & San Juan National Historic Site, Puerto Rico
MUST SEE: La Fortaleza &
San Juan National Historic Site, Puerto Rico
La Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Site are significant landmarks in San Juan, Puerto Rico, showcasing the island's rich history and colonial heritage. La Fortaleza & San Juan National Historic Site serve as a reminder of Puerto Rico’s role as one of the earliest and last bastions of Spanish dominance in the Americas. Visiting this MUST SEE UNESCO site by boat is best from San Juan Bay.
San Juan Bay is a significant harbor and anchorage point on the north side of Puerto Rico,, known for its deep waters and natural protection. It serves as a popular spot for both commercial and recreational vessels. The bay is surrounded by historic sites, such as La Fortaleza, El Morro and San Cristóbal forts, and offers beautiful views of the city and surrounding areas.
La Fortaleza
La Fortaleza, also known as the Governor's Palace, is the oldest executive mansion in continuous use in the Americas. Built between 1533 and 1540 by order of the Spanish king, Charles V, it served as a fortress to protect the city from pirates and corsairs. In 1846, La Fortaleza was remodeled to become the official residence of the governor. The remodeling was designed by the Spanish architect Fernando Trueba, and the building was given a neoclassical style.
La Fortaleza has been the official residence of 170 governors of Puerto Rico and now stands as the oldest executive residence in the Western Hemisphere. It is a historical and cultural landmark of great importance to the island. In 1983, it was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO as part of the “La Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Site”.
San Juan National Historic Site
This historic site encompasses several key components, including the forts of El Morro and San Cristóbal, which were built to defend the city from maritime attacks.
- Fortifications:
- Castillo San Felipe del Morro: A 16th-century fortress that offers stunning views of the ocean and the city. It played a crucial role in the defense of San Juan.
- Castillo San Cristóbal: Built in the 18th century, this fortification was designed to protect against land attacks and is the largest fort built by the Spanish in the Americas.
Both La Fortaleza and the San Juan National Historic Site reflect the historical significance of Puerto Rico in the context of Spanish colonial rule and military strategy in the Caribbean. They are vital for understanding the island's past and its cultural heritage.
MUST SEE: MONASTERY OF THE HIERONYMITES AND TOWER OF BELEM LISBON, PORTUGAL
MUST SEE: 
Monastery of the Hieronymites and Tower of Belém
Lisbon, Portugal
The Monastery of the Hieronymites and the nearby Tower of Belém are UNESCO world heritage sites that represent the story of the Portuguese Age of Discovery. Standing along the Tagus River at the entrance to Lisbon harbor, the Monastery of the Hieronymites and the Tower of Belém . To some the estuary the town of Belem sits on is a perfect metaphor for what the historical landmarks at Belém emphasize – Portuguese influence going out across the ocean and the consequences of all that came back across the sea.
THE MONASTERY OF HIERONYMITES or JERONIMOS
Construction of the Monastery of Hieronymites began in 1501 and culminated 100 years later in 1601. Today the structure exemplifies Portuguese Gothic Manueline style art at its best. The Monastery with built near the launch point of Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama's first voyage and its construction was funded by a tax on the profits of the yearly Portuguese Indai Armadas. There was in fact a church in this spot falling into disrepair where it is said that Vasca da Gama and his men stopped to pray before their historic departure to the New World after which he proclaimed the discovery of the sea route to Asia. In 1880, da Gama's remains and those of the poet Luis de Camoes (who celebrated da Gama's first voyage in his 1572 epic poem, The Lusiad), were moved to new carved tombs in the nave of the monastery's church, only a few meters away from the tombs of the kings Manuel I and John III, whom da Gama had served. The monastery was originally a monastery for the Order of Saint Jerome and was built in such proximity to the Tagus river so that sailors could stop in to pray for protection before setting out to sea. It became the necropolis of the Portuguese royal dynasty of Aviz in the 16th century and was abandoned in 1833. In 1983, the Jerónimos Monastery was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with the nearby Tower of Belém .
THE TOWER OF Belém
The nearby Tower of Belém was built between 1514-1520 while the Monastery of Jerome was also under construction with the same stones. The Tower was built during the reign of King Manuel I as a fortification defending the entry to Lisbon. Indeed a heavily armed 1,000 ton ship, the Grande Nau, guarded the estuary at the mouth of the Tagus until the fort’s completion. There are 16 or 17 openings for cannons and ditches around it that were used as dungeons. The Tower was not a spartan fortification however; the Tower of Belém was also built elaborately as a symbol and a celebration of Portuguese power and triumph in the New World commemorating Vasco da Gama's famous expedition to Asia in the late 1490's. By the early to mid 1800's the tower’s function changed into a lighthouse and customs house to collect tolls on mariners entering and exiting port. The Tower is a reminder of the great maritime discoveries that laid the foundations of the modern world. The Tower of Belém is considered one of the best examples of the architecture of its time, known as the Manueline style, but it also includes distinctive Moorish features such as ornately decorated turrets. The Tower was adorned with intricate carvings much like the nearby monastery. All the symbols had a bearing on passersby: some stand too welcome visitors, grant safe passage to explorers, others to protect the shores and people of Portugal while threatening and scaring off invaders.
