El Morro

El Morro from the road in front of it

It is one of the most impressive and gargantuan edifices I've ever seen. It dominates the landscape of the island and can be viewed from so many different spots on the island that if you look toward the Bay from Viejo San Juan or even in the rest of the city it is there. With foundation walls that are several yards thick it stands on a bluff overlooking the entrance to the Bay. That's where it gets its name, a bluff in Spanish is morro. Its real name is Castillo San Felipe Del Morro, but its simply known to most as El Morro. 

One of the Garitas as
viewed from the Paseo
Del Morro.

Made up of 6 levels, its construction began in 1493 shortly after Columbus' second voyage to the new world when he discovered and claimed Puerto Rico for Spain. Level one is the water battery level and not open to the public, but have no worries there is so much more to see at El Morro you won't miss it. Level two is the original tower the oldest part of the fortress, level three is the lower plaza and level four is the main firing battery which sits well above the water. Level five is the main plaza from which you can see what is known as the dry moat, a space of land about the width of a football field or a little bigger that is much lower than the entrance on the main plaza level. Enemy troops caught down there would have been sitting ducks to gunfire from above. Level six is the highest level and is known as its land defense.

El Morro became a national historic site in 1949, shortly after WWII. Up until then it was used as a defense for Puerto Rico, the rest of the Caribbean and the new world even during WWII the forts in Puerto Rico were useful to the US Army. It is currently run under the umbrella of the National Park System with plenty of Park Rangers wandering about to help you with questions during your self-guided tour of the Fort. There are various cannon, wagons, cannon balls and various other items on exhibit placed so that you can see how El Morro would have been 500 years ago. 

Most of the levels have ramps to get between them and some have stairs also. One of the most astonishing Ramps was the one from the main level to the water battery. You can no longer use it to walk on as it is roped off, but the steps on the sides are in sets of eight with about six level feet in between. The walls inside the place are at least three feet thick and many of the rooms have what are called loop holes which allowed not just the ocean breezes to penetrate keeping the soldiers cool but also would allow them to fire at an enemy from a protected position. The sentry boxes and guard stations known in Spanish as Garitas are placed strategically all around the outside walls of the Castillo so that look outs could see ships as they approached. The sentry boxes could only accessed through very narrow enclosed walkways with walls that were sloping upwards as you got closer to the Garitas. At the highest point the walls were just over five feet tall and the sentry boxes were no more than about four feet around with small slit windows on three sides. The walkways were barely wide enough for me to walk through and would never have allowed more than one person abreast in them at a time. 

The neat thing about El Morro was that everywhere that the fort was designed for defense it also allowed for the cool ocean breezes to penetrate in such a way that it was like natural air conditioning. The walkways to the guard stations funneled the breezes in such a manner that it was like a wind tunnel if you stood in the middle of the walkway and the boxes also felt at least as cool with breezes coming through all the windows. Many of the rooms the soldiers were housed in called casements had windows with walls that angled to the window opening also but again that allowed the cool winds into the casements and made a natural air conditioning effect in the room making what would have been stifling heat completely bearable. 

You might also want to take a stroll from the Paseo de la Princessa around to the Paseo Del Morro. It gives you a glimpse of the outside walls, the location of the fortress in terms of defensive position, the shoreline around the Bay, one other historic site and some spectacular Bay views as well. However on the day that I took this little jaunt, the Paseo was closed to access for actually visiting El Morro. A pity as that increased my walk on the day that I had wounded my knee by approximately 1 1/2 miles. No wonder I was half dead by the time I got back to the hotel.  

El Morro itself sits about a half mile back from the road in front of it and the walk is all uphill. It is also not handicap accessible. There is a $3 charge for visiting San Felipe and I would highly recommend sunblock, good walking shoes, comfortable lightweight clothes (especially those that "breathe,") sunglasses or a hat and by all means travel LIGHT. No food or drink except for bottled water is allowed inside the fort and you will need lots of water to stay hydrated. There is a small bookstore on the grounds in front of the fortress to the right as you move upwards to it. There are public restrooms in that bookstore. They charge $.25 for the use of them. Kind of quirky but hey if you need them, they're available. There are also free public restrooms inside of El Morro that and a small book/gift shop inside also. Water can be purchased at either one for about $1 to $1.50 per bottle. You should allow at least 2-3 hours for visiting the fortress (longer if you like to read everything or walk slowly) and it opens at 9 a.m. The earlier you get there the better in terms of the heat. One last warning, there is NO shade in or around the fort. So plan accordingly.

Kite flying on the lawns in front of
El Morro

After visiting the site you can also take a break out on the beautifully kept lawns in front of it (but keep in mind NO shade.) It is a tradition for most islanders to bring a kite along when they visit El Morro. They fly their kites on those lawns in front of the structure and on the day I visited there were probably about 100 kites flying in the air. Mostly adults trying to keep their children engaged. Many had brought their picnic lunches with a small cooler full of water and after lunch were resting, kite flying, laughing and generally enjoying their family time. There were also lots of field trip participants as many children participate in summer camps. If you can't bring a lunch with you, you might want to stop and pick up a sandwich somewhere outside after. There are also lots of street vendors in the area who sell hot dogs, hamburgers, chips, cookies, drinks and Puerto Rican style snow cones that you can purchase. I found one such street vendor and for less than $7 purchased a loaded hamburger, chips, a small package of cookies, chips and two drinks. Yes, quit thinking that a street vendor is unsafe. If you were in New York the thought wouldn't cross your mind, so why allow that thought here. 

The city and park service cooperatively run a shuttle bus system through out Old San Juan with many stops at the various historic locations. You can catch the free shuttle which has two routes and two different color vehicles (white open air and green air conditioned) at the beginning of the road from El Morro. It's a great way to get around. But be advised, the shuttle runs on island time. The brochures state that it runs every 15 minutes but that is not actually the case. Plan on a wait of 20-30 minutes possibly more if you arrive at the stop as you see the shuttle drive away. Their schedule is directly dependent on traffic, number of passengers getting on and off as well as pedestrians walking in front of the shuttles. 

This was one of my must stops and you won't regret it being one of yours. It was worth every penny of the $3 I paid and I was so fascinated  with it that I will make it a must stop the next time I'm here. My only downside to the fortress was that I really wish the Park Service had access to El Morro from its Paseo. 

The view from the Paseo del Morro of the fortress.
Everything you see here is part of El Morro. The fort walls
extended quite a distance onto the Paseo.

Signage marking the beginning of the
Paseo. Behind the sign are the walls of
both the city of Viejo San Juan and El
Morro. 

The fortress walls on level one are now a haven for doves
and still provide protection as they have for 500 years.

In the distance you can see one of the
sentry posts at the edge of the cliff and
what the shoreline looked like beneath
the fort. Very little beach and lots of
rock.

The sign for El Morro is about halfway between it and the
road. You can just make out the Fort in the background.

The entrance to the Castillo San Felipe
which you come to over a ramp. On
both sides of this entrance and extending
across the street front of it is the dry
moat.

Did someone say separation of Church
and State? Not in Spain 500 years ago.
They each furthered the others goals.
In the fortress was a chapel for the
troops stationed there.

One of the cannon that was left in place.
This view shows not just the cannon but
its placement in a direct sight line to
any unwelcome ships that might want
to enter the Bay. Look carefully at the
unfocused part of the picture.

This is what was unfocused in the picture on the right.
There is another fort, smaller but strategically positioned
so that between El Morro and Fortin San Juan de la Cruz
positioned on this islet any unwelcome visitors would
be in the crossfire between the two forts. However now,
this is a very fashionable, expensive tourist spot for wealthy
foreigners who wish to purchase a home on Puerto Rico.

A view from above of one of the original
sentry stations that were built into the
walls of the fortress. You can see the
narrow walkway to it and the small
size of the Garita.

At the far end of this photo is a base for
anti aircraft guns positioned here by the
US Army during WWII. 

Ordinance storage which was right next to the Chapel.
Interesting placement, don't you think?

The lighthouse of El Morro, placed in the
mid 1800s as one of the later additions
to the fort by Spain.

One of the current sentries of the fortress. He stood his ground
as I shot my photo and then another photographer shot him
after me. When I looked up from the level below him he was
still standing guard.

A heads on view of the sentry box.

A loop hole to help with circulation
and defense.

The walls of the fortress.

A outside canon on the main battlement level.

Casements on the battlement level.

My favorite ramp. These steps look to
be continuous in the picture but when
you approach them you will find a series
of 8 steps with 6 feet in between sets.

I originally thought this was the forts
version of open sewers but I learned that
these were large gutters used to collect
rainwater for storage in underground
cisterns. With ample water and food,
the fortress could withstand a long siege
if necessary.

A shell which pierced the walls of El Morro although it did
no real damage.  It was from the Dutch attack in the 1700s.

From one level to another, down some very
steep stairs. One of the other things I learned
was that the fort general had several ways
to move his men around inside to his
best advantage out of sight of the enemy.
Giving him a huge tactical military
advantage.