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La Fortaleza (lit., "The Fortress" ) is the
official residence An official residence is the House, residence of a head of state, head of government, governor, Clergy, religious leader, leaders of international organizations, or other senior figure. It may be the same place where they conduct their work-relate ...
of the
governor of Puerto Rico The governor of Puerto Rico ( es, gobernador de Puerto Rico) is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and commander-in-chief of the Puerto Rico National Guard. The governor has a duty to enforce local laws, to co ...
. It was built between 1533 and 1540 to defend the harbor of
San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...
. The structure is also known as Palacio de Santa Catalina (Saint Catherine's Palace). It is the oldest executive mansion in continuous use in the
New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. ...
. It was listed by
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...
in 1983 as part of the
World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
"La Fortaleza and
San Juan National Historic Site San Juan National Historic Site ( es, Sitio Histórico Nacional de San Juan) in the Old San Juan section of San Juan, Puerto Rico, is a National Park Service-managed historic site which protects and interprets colonial-era forts such as Castill ...
". During the 1640 reconstruction, the chapel of Santa Catalina, which originally stood outside the walls, was integrated into the walls of the structure, resulting in the alternate name Santa Catalina's Castle.


The structure

La Fortaleza was the first defensive fortification built for the city of San Juan, and the first of a series of military structures built to protect the city which included the Fort San Felipe del Morro and the Fort San Cristóbal. The construction was authorized by
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, french: Charles Quint, it, Carlo V, nl, Karel V, ca, Carles V, la, Carolus V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain ( Castile and Aragon) fr ...
as a defense against attacks from
Island Caribs The Kalinago, also known as the Island Caribs or simply Caribs, are an indigenous people of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean. They may have been related to the Mainland Caribs (Kalina) of South America, but they spoke an unrelated languag ...
and the European powers of the time. Initially, the structure consisted of four walls enclosing an interior patio with a circular tower known as the ''Homage Tower''. From the top of the tower, the governor, following military tradition, would take oaths of fidelity at critical moments to the King and Queen of Spain. Later, a second tower named the ''Austral Tower'' was constructed. At present, the complex consists of a few attached buildings with formal living quarters in the second floor, and private quarters in the third. It overlooks the high city walls that front the
bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a na ...
, and within the north perimeter of the house are sheltered gardens and a swimming pool.


History

Starting in 1529, Governor La Gama petitioned the emperor on the need to build defensive fortifications, "because the island's defenseless condition caused the people to emigrate." Construction started in 1533, with the use of stone, and concluded by 1540. Yet the fort had no guns, and Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés commented "if it had been constructed by blind men could not have been located in a worse location." Yet the structure has served as the governor's residence since 1544. Since the 16th century, La Fortaleza has acted as the residence of the Governor of Puerto Rico, making it the oldest executive mansion in continuous use in the Americas. On November 27, 1822, its traditional status as the executive mansion was made official. The fortress underwent a massive reconstruction in 1846 to change its military appearance into a
palatial A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...
facade. La Fortaleza has been captured twice by invaders: * 1598, George Clifford,
Earl of Cumberland The title of Earl of Cumberland was created in the Peerage of England in 1525 for the 11th Baron de Clifford.''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press'', 2004. It became extinct in 1643. The dukedom of Cumberland was c ...
, attacked San Juan. * 1625, General Boudewijn Hendrick (Balduino Enrico) of the Netherlands invaded the city and established himself at La Fortaleza. During the Dutch retreat, the fortress and the city were set ablaze. In 1834, Colonel
George Dawson Flinter George Dawson Flinter (died 1838), was an adventurer and a mercenary. Life Flinter, an Irishman by birth, entered the British Army in 1811 as an ensign in the 7th West India regiment of foot, and was advanced to the rank of lieutenant on 22 Ju ...
described the fortress of Santa Catalina as having a chapel, stables and a cistern as well as an east wing with spacious apartments. According to tradition, in 1898, just before the United States
invaded An invasion is a military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitical entity aggressively enter territory owned by another such entity, generally with the objective of either: conquering; liberating or re-establishing con ...
Puerto Rico during the
Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...
, the last Spanish governor of the island, Ricardo De Ortega, struck a
longcase clock A grandfather clock (also a longcase clock, tall-case clock, grandfather's clock, or floor clock) is a tall, freestanding, weight-driven pendulum clock with the pendulum held inside the tower or waist of the case. Clocks of this style are common ...
in La Fortaleza with his sword, stopping the clock and marking the time at which Spain lost control over Puerto Rico. On October 30, 1950, there was an attempt by a few nationalists to enter La Fortaleza in what is known as the San Juan Nationalist revolt, intending to attack then-governor Luis Muñoz Marín. The 5-minute shootout resulted in four Nationalists dead: Domingo Hiraldo Resto, Carlos Hiraldo Resto, Manuel Torres Medina and Raímundo Díaz Pacheco. Three of the guards of the building, among them Lorenzo Ramos, were seriously injured. On October 9, 1960, La Fortaleza was designated a United States
National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places liste ...
. and In 1983, La Fortaleza, along with the
San Juan National Historic Site San Juan National Historic Site ( es, Sitio Histórico Nacional de San Juan) in the Old San Juan section of San Juan, Puerto Rico, is a National Park Service-managed historic site which protects and interprets colonial-era forts such as Castill ...
, was declared a
World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
by
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...
.


In literature

In 2011, Puerto Rican author Giannina Braschi wrote the dramatic novel ''
United States of Banana ''United States of Banana'' (2011) is a postmodern allegorical novel by the Puerto Rican author Giannina Braschi. It is a cross-genre work that blends experimental theatre, prose poetry, short story, and political philosophy with a manifesto on ...
'', featuring climactic scenes of revolution at La Fortaleza.


See also

* List of United States National Historic Landmarks in United States commonwealths and territories, associated states, and foreign states *
National Register of Historic Places listings in metropolitan San Juan, Puerto Rico This portion of National Register of Historic Places listings in Puerto Rico covers the municipality of San Juan. Names of places given are as appear in the National Register, reflecting name as given in NRHP application at the date of listing. ...
* List of the oldest buildings in Puerto Rico


References


Further reading

* Government of Puerto Rico
Executive Mansion: Santa Catalina's Palace
San Juan, Puerto Rico. * World Heritage Committee

Paris: ''UNESCO's Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage''. January 1984.


External links


Government of Puerto Rico - Executive Mansion: Santa Catalina's Palace


* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20171115101734/http://places.eyetour.com/whatToSee/san-juan/29/la-fortaleza Visiting information* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fortaleza, La Official residences in Puerto Rico La Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Site in Puerto Rico Historic house museums in Puerto Rico Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Puerto Rico Government buildings on the National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places in San Juan, Puerto Rico National Historic Landmarks in Puerto Rico Houses completed in 1540 Historic American Buildings Survey in Puerto Rico Forts in Puerto Rico