Early December 2021

Introduction

San Juan turned 500 this year. Or perhaps it was last year. The historical ambiguity is of little concern. It just affords another opportunity for a festival.

Puerto Ricans love their festivals. A friend told me, one evening in a local bar, of a street in Santurce, a San Juan neighborhood. Every year the residents block the street and have an impromptu festival. They are celebrating the anniversary of the first potholes on their street. Coolers appear, filled with ice and Medalla, the local beer. Music machines show up. Locals place flowers in and around the potholes. People dance in the street, being careful not to trip in the potholes. Older folks play endless games of dominoes.

The city recently announced a plan whereby 126 miles of city streets will be repaved. I asked my friend what would happen to the street festival. He said, “No problem. They will celebrate the anniversary of the paving, if it happens.”

Early History

Columbus

Christopher Columbus discovered and landed on the island he called San Juan Bautista (Saint John the Baptist) on his second voyage, on November 19, 1493. Columbus had mounted a formidable expedition – 17 ships and about 1200 men. including about 200 conquistadores. The gentlemen soldiers were looking for new adventures, having defeated the Muslim forces of the Emirate of Granada the previous year.

Columbus started his explorations with a mandate. In April of 1492, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella signed the “Capitulations of Santa Fe”. They promised Columbus, if successful in his upcoming expedition, would be given the rank of Admiral of the Ocean Sea. In addition, he would be appointed Viceroy and Governor of all lands he claimed for Spain. The King and Queen would soon regret the broad nature of the agreement.

Columbus’s armada sailed on to what is now the Dominican Republic. Columbus had left 40 men there the year before, in a community called La Navidad. It was soon apparent there were no survivors, the 40 having died either of disease or at the hands of the native Tainos.

Juan Ponce de Leon

Ponce de Leon distinguished himself in the ensuing battles against the natives, and was awarded a leadership role in the colony of Hispanola. In recognition of his military efforts, and with help from his influential family still in Spain, Ponce de Leon was authorized to explore San Juan Bautista in 1508, and became its first governor in 1509.

The governor needed a capital, and de Leon chose a site inland from the harbor, in what is now Guaynabo. The location offered pleasant breezes and a flat topography ideal for buildings. The site, officially established in 1508, was named Caparra or La Cuidad de Puerto Rico. By 1512 a small chapel had been built and the population had increased to 320.

Diego Colon

By this time, Diego Colon, son of Christopher Columbus (Colon in Spanish) had brought suit in Spanish Court seeking to inherit the rights granted his father via the Capitulations of Santa Fe. He won his case, and the King appointed him Governor of San Juan Bautista in 1511. Ponce de Leon, at the urging of the King, mounted an expedition to La Florida.

It was soon apparent the Caparra site was not ideal. It was separated from the harbor by a mangrove swamp, was rich in mosquitoes, subject to native attacks, and sometimes experienced floods. The capital was moved, unofficially at first but officially in 1521, to its present site in San Juan. By the way, the Caparra site is a National Historical Site and worth a visit.

The Festivities

It has been pretty much a year long celebration, with music events, fairs, and other attractions.

There are frequent band concerts. I went to one in Plaza d’Armes, in the middle of Old San Juan. It was just before Thanksgiving and the music mingled into the Christmas season. It was fun to watch people dancing to a salsa version of Jingle Bells. Quite a cosmic discordance for an upstate New Yorker.

There was, for a couple of weeks, a street festival in the Plaza de la Barandilla, at the intersection of Calle Tanca and Calle San Francisco.

The Future

It seems there will be a new park in Old San Juan, celebrating the 500th anniversary of the city.

I have noticed a sign along an open lot indicating it will be the location of the Parque de los 500. As you can see from the image above, it is adjacent to the Sheraton Old San Juan (the yellow building to the right) and across the street from the cruise ship piers. The space is used now for storage of construction material.

I have not seen any plans for the park. I have heard of an overall master plan for the urban area around and including Old San Juan. I’ll write another post when I learn more about either the park itself or the overall master plan.

Notes and Sources

I used Wikipedia entries for Caparra, Ponce de Leon. and Christopher Columbus (Colon).

The images are mine, minimally edited with Adobe Lightroom and/or Photoshop.