Fort San Antonio

Fort San Antonio stood at the land entrance to the San Juan Islet as part of the bridge linking the islet with Miramar and formed part of the city's first line of defense, controlling access from Miramar, Boquerón Cove, and what is now known as Condado. The first connection between the islet and Miramar began here in 1520 as a causeway with a gap for water flow and a removable wooden bridge, and in 1558 an aqueduct from the Aguilar Fountain in Miramar was built over the causeway, leading it to be popularly known as the Water Bridge. By 1586 a small fort already defended the bridge, which was also called the Soldiers' Bridge, and both fort and bridge were repeatedly altered over the centuries to strengthen the city's defenses and repair damage from enemy attacks. The islet was defended from this point during English attacks in the 16th and 18th centuries. By 1613 part of the causeway had been replaced by a stone arch bridge, and around that time the fort was enlarged in stone. The fort remained in use until 1894, when its upper battery was demolished for installation of a metal bridge. In 1910 some embrasures were lost during construction of the Dos Hermanos bridge toward the Candado, and in 1925 the southern lower battery was destroyed when a concrete bridge replaced the metal structure and the San Antonio Bridge was renamed Guillermo Esteves Bridge, although its older name remained in popular use. Around the same time, a new San Antonio bridge was built west of this point. Only a small segment of the fort survives: two embrasures of a lower battery, restored and reconstructed in 2012.

San Juan, Puerto Rico · United States