History at a Glance

1519 - Spanish settlers from Caparra found San Juan.

1539 - Construction of the first harbor defenses at El Morro and La Fortaleza authorized by King Carlos V.

1587 - Engineers Juan de Tejada and Juan Bautista Antonelli lay out the main design for El Morro still seen today.

1589 - Governor Diego Menendez begins new construction at El Morro.

1595 - Sir Francis Drake attacks El Morro unsuccessfully by sea. Gunners from El Morro shoot a cannonball through the cabin of Drake's flagship.

1598 - George Clifford, Duke of Cumberland, attacks from the land side, the only time El Morro was taken in battle. English forces move into the fortress, but are so weakened by dysentery that the invasion force withdraws after only six weeks.

1625 - The Dutch under the command of Boudewijn Hendricksz attack and take San Juan from the land side. El Morro holds but the city is sacked and burned.

1630 - Governor Enrique Enriquez: de Sotomayor begins construction of the city walls. Work continues until 1678 to encircle the city completely.

1765 - Field Marshall Alejandro O'Reilly and Royal Engineer Thomas O'Daly reform the defenses of San Juan by reorganizing the garrison and making the city a 'Defense of the
First Order".

1843 - First lighthouse in Puerto Rico constructed atop El Morro.

1898 - US Navy warships shell El Morro during a day long bombardment 12 May 1898, damaging the tip of the main battery. Six months later, Puerto Rico becomes US territory by terms of the Treaty of Paris which ends the Spanish - American War.

1908 - Present lighthouse seen atop El Morro built by US Navy.

1942 - Still an active military post when World War 11 breaks out, concrete artillery observation posts and an underground bunker are added to El Morro.

1949 - San Juan National Historic Site is established.

1961 - The US Army moves out of the forts of Old San Juan, and they become the jurisdiction of the US National Park Service, to be preserved solely as museums.

1983 - San Juan National Historic Site declared a World Heritage Site by the
United Nations.

1992 - El Morro's grounds are returned to their historic 18th century appearance as part of Quincentennial restoration when modern roadways and parking lots are removed.

Published on April 12, 2009

El Castillo San Felipe del Morro, Puerto Rico

Built between 1539 and 1797, by Spanish settlers on a rocky promontory at the entrance of the San Juan Bay, El Morro is Puerto Rico's best known fortress. Spanish fortified this 'morro'. which means 'promontory', after Sir Francis Drake put San Juan through the baptism of fire when he attacked a small fleet of Spanish frigates anchored in the harbor on the night of November 23, 1595.

During the 50 years following the discovery by Columbus of the island of Puerto Rico in 1493, Spain built the vast empire of the New World. Each year, two armed ship convoys were entering the Caribbean South of Puerto Rico and then loaded with the fabled treasures consisting of precious gems, silver and gold from Peru and Mexico were sailing back to Spain via Havana and then the coast of Florida.

Juan Ponce de León (1474 – July 1521) a Spanish explorer and the first Governor of Puerto Rico by appointment of the Spanish Crown. He is also notable for his voyage to Florida, the first known European excursion there.

To safeguard the New World possessions against its traditional enemies – England, France and Holland – Spain built massive fortifications at key harbors in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. The most critical location in Puerto Rico was San Juan harbor, which King Fillip II called "the key to the Indies."

The "Tótem Telúrico" in Plaza del Quinto Centenario. A modern piece of art in Old San Juan, built in 1992 to commemorate Fifth Centenary of the discovery of the New World.

El Morro in the distance.

How to fire a cannon:
-Move the cannon one yard from the wall
-Clean the bore with the wet sponge
-Insert the cartridge into the bore and ram it into the chamber with the rammer.
-Insert the priming wire into the vent and break open the powder bag.
-Move the cannon to the cannon port.
-Aim the gun using handspikes and elevation wedges (quoins).
-Remove the priming wire and replace it with a fuse.
-Touch the fuse off with the linstock's match.
-Clear the bore with the wet sponge and repeat the procedure to fire again.
-Use the scraper and wormer to remove debris and accumulation of burnt powder from the bore when necessary.
-Use the cat (a bunch of spring-like wires) to search for cracks in the bore.
-Use the ladle to remove a cartridge that has not been fired.
-Pray to Santa Barbara, Patroness of artillerymen, as often as desired to ensure the safety of the gun crew.

La Garita. The sentries stood guard in these observation posts strategically located throughout the fortifications and city walls; a silhouette often used as a symbol of El Viejo (Old) San Juan.

Santa Maria was the flagship on Columbus first voyage to the New World in 1492. It was a nao, 15-th century cargo ship, larger and slower than the caravels Niña and Pinta. The Santa Maria never returned to Spain. It sank on December 25, 1492 near the Northern cost of Haiti. The helmsman, a 13 year old boy, had fallen asleep and the ship drifted into a coral reef where its hull was ripped open and flooded. This model was hand carved by Puerto Rican artisan Carlos Cruz and donated by Smith-Kline Beecham to the National Park Service 1992.

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