San Juan City Hall (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

: ''Casa de la Alcaldía de San Juan'', or just ''Alcaldía de San Juan'') is the seat of government for the Autonomous Municipality of San Juan in

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

. The city hall is located in Old San Juan, in front of the

Plaza de Armas The ''Plaza de Armas'' (literally Weapons Square, but better translated as Parade Square or parade ground) is the name for Latin American main squares. In the central region of Mexico this space is known as El Zócalo and in Central America as ...

and next to the Palace of the Royal Intendancy, which today hosts the Puerto Rico Department of State. The San Juan City Hall was built in stages from 1604 to 1789. It went through numerous additions and expansions throughout its history. Its current structure and façade by the square, inspired by the Casa de la Panadería in the Plaza Mayor of

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...

, dates to 1840 and was designed by architect Pedro García.

Features

The city hall building has a large staircase and an inner courtyard which is open to visitors. The Plaza de Armas main entrance has an inscription in Latin which translates to "Esteem the light of justice whoever is at the service of their people". The first floor of the main building hosts tourism offices while the second floor houses the office of the

Mayor of San Juan This is a list of mayors of San Juan, Puerto Rico. List of mayors of San Juan Under the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (6) (5) See also * San Juan City Hall * San Juan government * Timeline of San Juan, Puerto Rico References {{Years ...

and the seat of municipal government. One of its most famous rooms is the ''Sala Capitular'' (Spanish for chapter hall), a meeting hall that has hosted numerous historical events, such as the proclamation of Admiral Ramón Power y Giralt as the first representative for Puerto Rico at the Cortes de Cádiz in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

in 1812 and the signing of the abolition of slavery in Puerto Rico in 1873. The city hall also hosts the San Juan Bautista Gallery, which often showcases works of art made by local artists.

Gallery

File:San Juan city hall IMG 1646 Casa Alcaldia.jpg, Front of the San Juan City Hall by the Plaza de Armas. File:San Juan, Plaza de Armas 1.jpg, City hall from the Plaza de Armas gazebo. File:San Juan, Plaza de Armas 2.jpg, Close up of the front entrance.

References

External links

Municipio de San Juan (Spanish)
Tourist attractions in San Juan, Puerto Rico Buildings and structures in San Juan, Puerto Rico Old San Juan, Puerto Rico City and town halls in Puerto Rico 1604 establishments in the Spanish Empire {{PuertoRico-struct-stub