Castillo San Cristobal
San Juan
National Historic Site
Castillo San Cristobal covers 27 acres and is the largest fortification ever built by the Spanish in the New World. It's construction began in 1634, took approximately 150 years to complete, and was considered a masterpiece of 18th century military engineering.
Photo by J. Scott Graham
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Fort San Cristobal
San Jan National Historic Site, Puerto Rico
Projecting strength and power, Fort San Cristobal dates back to the early 17th century. It defended San Jan from landward attacks and is the largest Spanish fortification in the New World
Photo: Richard Spenceley
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National Historic Site
The troop quarters, finished in 1733, consisted of eight large vaulted rooms which housed soldiers stationed to guard Castillo San Cristobal.
Here, Spanish soldiers could rest and recreate with a game of dominos or cards after a hard day of work. Just off the main plaza, one of these barracks has been refurbished to look as it did during the late 18th century, complete with beds, muskets, and uniforms.
Photo by J. Scott Graham
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All three of these postcards are from 2014.
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Castillo San Cristóbal, also known as Fort San Cristobal was built by Spain to protect against land based attacks on the city of San Juan. When it was finished in 1783, it covered about 27 acres of land and basically wrapped around the city of San Juan. Entry to the city was sealed by San Cristóbal's double gates. After close to one hundred years of relative peace in the area, part of the fortification (about a third) was demolished in 1897 to help ease the flow of traffic in and out of the walled city.
In 1983 This San Juan National Historic Site was declared an UNESCO World Heritage Site by the United Nations.
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