Crossfire / Fuego cruzado

Spain built the stone fort San Juan de la Cruz, or El Cañuelo, to create a deadly crossfire with the guns of Castillo San Felipe del Morro on the other side of the bay. Around 1640, an English ship captain trying to enter San Juan’s harbor to attack the city might try to sail on this side of the bay to keep a distance from El Morro’s mighty cannon, but the guns of San Juan de la Cruz were positioned to stop such an approach. Though small, San Juan de la Cruz played a key role in San Juan’s defenses, joining El Morro to form a gauntlet of crossfire that deterred enemy ships from entering San Juan Harbor.