400 years of history, 2 forts & 1 identity
By: Juliana Gutierrez
The morning was so bright I could barely open my eyes under the
beaming Puerto Rican sun. I put on my sunglasses and tucked my heavy
backpack on. As usual, I had been left behind because I had been taking
pictures, aiming for the right angles and lighting to obtain the perfect
photograph. I walked quickly up the hill, leaning my head back to see
where the tall dark walls of Old San Juan's forts ended. Inside, centuries of
history and battles awaited--I was eager to discover what this place had to offer.
I felt a sense of pride within the forts. After more than
400 years and several battles, San Felipe del Morro and San Cristobal
forts were still standing tall, undefeated. With the Caribbean waves
crashing right at the bottom of the Fortaleza and the wind blowing my hair, I
felt as if I were living in a movie scene. Just the thought
of how many people had been in this exact place and the
historical events that happened here made me get goose bumps.
On assignment for my class and trying to multitask between taking pictures,
notes and absorbing the whole scene, I managed to talk to a park ranger who was
kind enough to answer all of my questions.
"San Cristobal fort was built in 1634 to serve as the city’s land
attack defense. It is the largest military fortification built in the American
continent. It served as defense of the land entrance of the city. It was a very
important part of the defense system because it prevented attacks coming from
the area of Condado and the Eastern part of the island," said Enmanuel
Rodriguez, who had been working at San Cristobal fort for five
years.
National Park Service website, confirms this information: "El
Morro was built to defend against sea attackers; later San Cristóbal was built
to protect against attack on San Juan by land".
He continued explaining that this historical site is the main touristic
attraction in San Juan and that within the first days of January 2015, they had
a record of having 6,000 visitors in one day. He added that on average, around
two million people go to the forts every year.
Before I continued my adventure, Enmanuel Rodriguez gave me a brochure that
contained valuable information about both forts. This colorful and
full-of-facts brochure, explained Spaniards' reason to build the
forts in this specific location was that ''the trade winds blew sailing
ships here from Europe, helped by ocean currents.'' Also the deep bays in Old
San Juan made it an excellent port.
With such a strategic location that served as the door to both the new
world, Europe and Africa, Spain was decided to protect it's colonies,
especially Puerto Rico--which was then known as San Juan island.
Over 450 cannons, sentry boxes were soldier took guard, 400 troops, walls of
up to 25 feet tall, fortifications of 150 feet tall and 27 acres were some of
Spain's defense system against enemies.
In addition, San Juan had a sacred companion on its side: Saint
Barbara. With a sword on her left hand and a challis on her right one, she was
the patron saint who defended Spaniards in battle. To pray and ask for St.
Barbara's intersection, both El Morro and San Cristobal forts had chapels named
after her.
Jose Pereira explained that chapels inside the forts prevented soldiers from
having to leave the defense system to pray while on attack.
Being a Catholic, I believe that Spain's preach and actions often conflicted
and took opposite directions. I find it contradictory that soldiers prayed for
protection right before heading to kill countless humans--needless to say that
this is prohibited in the Ten Commandments.
San Juan's convenient qualities were not unknown to other countries, which
were greedy to take over the island and claim it their own. Tour guide Jose
Pereira said that La Fortaleza was attacked in five different occasions by
England and the Netherlands.
Nevertheless, Puerto Rico continued to be Spain's colony until 1898, when
they lost in the Spanish-American War and the island became U.S. territory.
Looking at this timeline and battles for ''ownership'' of Puerto Rico over
the years, I found it quite saddening to think that the island of enchantment
has never been an independent country. Only when it was populated by Taino
Indians did Boriquen--Taino name for the island--enjoyed freedom from
Conquistadores and the U.S.
However, it was amazing to see how Puerto Ricans cherish their culture and
protect their heritage and historical sites. I was not the only one marveled by
this fact.
Tom Link, a visitor from Pittsburg who was exploring El Morro, said that it
was "very interesting to look at it and realize how many years ago the
Spaniards were here. What we are mostly impressed with are the fortifications,
I mean, my goodness! They still stand after all these years and they are
enormous, covering most of the old San Juan. It is very beautiful, an
impressive work by the Spanish."
His wife, Nell Link, similarly agreed saying "You come here and you are
like ‘oh, my God!’ They come from a great history. People underestimate this
place, those who came from here, the beauty of this place, its history. It has
been a big surprise for us."
In Jose Pereira's opinion, these forts are part of Puerto Rican culture.
"When you are a child, you go to the forts to fly kites. This area is
great to have activities. People grow with the forts. It is part of our
culture, we feel owners of the forts and we preserve them. If we see someone
attempting to damage San Cristobal, El Morro or any part of this historical
site, we protect it."
He continued saying that visiting the forts is one of the first excursions
children have with their school.
"It is an amazing experience for kids, because at a young age you
believe in pirate stories, soldiers and so on. As an adult, when you visit the
forts, you revive your childhood and the many times you went there to
play."
In fact, not only Puerto Rican children can have a memorable experience when
visiting the forts. Park ranger Enmanuel Rodriguez said that because the
forts are part of the National Park Service, the junior ranger program applies
to this historical site.
Designed for children between ages of 5 and 12, the program offers
kids a free activity book--and entrance ticket--they have to complete
throughout their visit. Once they finish the required number of
pages--which vary depending on the child's age--they are certified as
junior rangers, pledge a short oath and are awarded with a badge from San Juan
National Historic site.
"This is a very special activity for children because they can collect the
badges and it works as a little souvenir. Not only Puerto Rican children learn
about their own history but also children from all around the world can know
about Puerto Rico. From an early age, children can learn the importance of
protecting and preserving places like this," said Enmanuel Rodriguez.
With this entertaining and free program for young ones, both adults and
children have the opportunity to enjoy this exciting attraction in Old San
Juan. For only $15, adults can purchase a day pass that covers the
entrance to both forts.
After my expedition through the marveling forts of Old San Juan I hoped on
the trolley that would take me to a small street where I was going to have lunch
with my classmates. On the trolley, I turned to give one last look at El
Morro.
And there it was, surrounded by fields of green were children and their
parents flew colorful kites and dozens of visitors explored the place. The
more than 400 years construction stood undefeated and proud under the
bright Puerto Rican sun.
This last scene captured what El Morro and San Cristobal are:
centuries old fortifications that are not only an important part of the
island’s history, but their significance goes beyond the
documented data. The forts represent the cultural heritage that, for
generations, has contributed to proudly make people identify as what they are:
Puerto Ricans.
Photo by: Juliana Gutierrez
Photo by: Juliana Gutierrez
Photo by: Juliana Gutierrez
Photo by: Juliana Gutierrez
To learn more about San Juan National Historic site visit:
http://www.nps.gov/saju/index.htm
http://www.puertoricodaytrips.com/fort-san-cristobal/
http://www.puertoricodaytrips.com/el-morro/
http://www.puertoricodaytrips.com/el-morro/
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g147320-d149852-r177556712-San_Juan_National_Historic_Site-San_Juan_Puerto_Rico.html
