Military
San Juan’s historic fortifications preserve the Spanish colonial defenses that protected Old San Juan and its harbor from the 16th century onward. Centered on Castillo San Felipe del Morro, Castillo San Cristóbal, and El Cañuelo, the system guarded both sea and land approaches and remains one of only three surviving city-wall systems of its kind in North America. Though damaged in part by the 1867 earthquake and later urban changes, much of the network endures, including San Cristóbal, described as the largest fortification built in the New World. Established in 1949, the protected site preserves works of exceptional historical, architectural, and cultural importance.
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