La Fortaleza
La Fortaleza (or "The Fortress" in English) is the current residence of the Governor of Puerto Rico. It was built between 1533 and 1540 to defend the harbor of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The structure is also known as "El Palacio de Santa Catalina" (Santa Catalina's Palace).
General information
La Fortaleza was the first defensive fortification built for the city of San Juan, and the first of a series of military structures built to protect the city which included the El Morro Castle and the San Cristobal Fort.
Initially, the structure consisted of four walls which enclosed an interior patio and one circular tower known as the Homage Tower. From the top of the tower, the governor would take oaths of fidelity at critical moments to the Queen and the King of Spain (following military tradition). Later, a second tower named the Austral Tower was constructed.
History
Since the 16th century, La Fortaleza acted as the residence of the Governor of Puerto Rico, making it the oldest executive mansion in continuous use in the Americas. On November 27, 1822 the tradition of executive mansion was officialized. The fortress underwent a massive reconstruction in 1846 to change its military appearance into a palatial exterior.
La Fortaleza has been taken twice by invaders:
During the 1640 reconstruction of the chapel of Santa Catalina, which originally existed outside of the walls, was demolished and was integrated to the walls of the structure. This would give rise to the name of Santa Catalina's Palace.
Tradition says that in 1898 just before the United States took over Puerto Rico after the Spanish-American War, the last Spanish governor of the island struck a grandfather clock with his sword in La Fortaleza; stopping the clock and marking the time at which Spain lost control over Puerto Rico.
On October 30, 1950 four Puerto Rican nationalists staged an attack at the entrance of La Fortaleza. Three of them were shot and killed by policemen.
La Fortaleza has hosted various dignitaries, including President John F. Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline Kennedy.
In 1983, La Fortaleza was decleared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. [1]
External links
References
- Government of Puerto Rico. Executive Mansion: Santa Catalina's Palace. San Juan, Puerto Rico.
- World Heritage Committee. Report of 7th Session, Florence 1983. Paris: UNESCO's Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natual Heritage. January 1984.
Referenced By
Castillo De San Cristobal | Castillo De San Felipe | El Morro | El Morro Castle | Government of Puerto Rico | List of notable Puerto Rican buildings and structures | List of noted Puerto Rican buildings | Luis Munoz Marin | Luis Muñoz Marín | Morro Castle | Politics of Puerto Rico | Puerto Rican politics | Puerto Rico/Government | Roberto Sanchez Vilella | Roberto Sánchez Vilella | San Juan | San Juan, Puerto Rico | Sila M. Calderón | Sila Maria Calderon | Sila Maria Calderón | Sila María Calderón
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