Castillo San Felipe del Morro in Puerto Rico

#El_Morro_Puerto_Rico
Castillo San Felipe del Morro is located in Old San Juan Puerto Rico & was an important military outpost first for Spain & later the United States. (after the Spanish-American War in 1898 as it changed hands)
It was actively used as a military installation during both World Wars & finally in 1961 the US Army retired El Morro and passed it on to the National Park Service

KeyTip; El Morro is open seven days per week from 9.30am-4.30pm & the entrance fee is (a great value)  $10.00 for adults & children under age 15 is free, plus there are Park Rangers who will give you a tour in either English or Spanish which is included in the admission
Also the pass will allow to visit the other fort Castillo San Cristobal & the City of San Juan has a free trolley that will take you to the entrance of the fort.

In 1508 Juan Ponce de Leon ( Christopher Columbus lieutenant ) moved the existing settlement to what is now Old San Juan & named the city Puerto Rico (Rich Port) which around 1522 the names were interchanged thus the island became Puerto Rico & the capital San Juan
Because of the islands position in the Caribbean it was nicknamed The Gateway to The New World so the European powers knew whoever controlled Puerto Rico would be in charge of the ocean routes from the Americas to Europe 
Thus the construction by the Spanish of El Morro in 1539 which took around 250 years to complete

During World War 11 the United States used El Morro to track the movements of German submarines in the Caribbean 

El Morro is made up of six levels with dungeons, barracks, passageways & storerooms 

One of the ramps that take you to the many levels of the fort which should take you 3 or 4 hours to tour

For over 500 years El Morro (with its 40 foot high / 20 feet wide walls) defended the island from the attacks of enemies ( in 1595 the British & Sir Frances Drake with 27 ships & more than 2500 men, the Dutch in 1625, the British again in 1797 General Sir Ralph Abercromby & his 68 vessel fleet to finally the United States with its more sophisticated war technology finally defeated the Spanish in 1898 

UNESCO designated Castillo San Felipe Del Morro as a World Heritage Landmark in 1983

Today El Morro is the most visited tourist attraction in Puerto Rico especially now with all its Cruise Ship visits that the island welcomes ( if you are a passenger make sure your on top deck as you enter the harbor to view this massive structure) 

Looking out from the fort we see the Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery which was constructed in 1863 with its 40 foot high walls

For great views of outside the fort step inside these domed garitas (sentry boxes)
Which by the way are an iconic symbol of Puerto Rico 

This is one of two modern structures ( the lighthouse....which also went under repairs in 1906-1908) that were added by the Americans after taking over the fort in 1898 
 

 Walking back from El Morro in Old San Juan you cannot help but notice the cobblestone streets that are full of history that i find out dates back to the late 16th Century
It came from the blue stone cast from furnace slag & ballasts of the Spanish ships (then they replaced the stone ballast with the silver that they raided from South America.....more history) 
The cobblestones then were laid out in a pattern that allowed the rainwater to drain efficiently preventing flooding & erosion plus since then have survived hurricanes, earthquakes & time