La Fortaleza (lit., "The Fortress" ) is the

official residence An official residence is the residence of a head of state, head of government, governor, religious leader, leaders of international organizations, or other senior figure. It may be the same place where they conduct their work-related functions. ...

of the governor of Puerto Rico. It was built between 1533 and 1540 to defend the harbor of San Juan. 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 specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

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 h ...

"La Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Site". 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 Castillo San Felipe del Morro, also known as El Morro, is a citadel built between 16th and 18th centuries in San Juan, Puerto Rico.ww ...

and the Fort San Cristóbal. The construction was authorized by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor as a defense against attacks from Island Caribs and the European powers of the time. Initially, the structure consisted of four walls enclosing an interior

patio A patio (, from es, patio ; "courtyard", "forecourt", "yard", "little garden") is an outdoor space generally used for dining or recreation that adjoins a structure and is typically paved. In Australia the term is expanded to include roofed str ...

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, 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 Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés (August 14781557), commonly known as Oviedo, was a Spanish soldier, historian, writer, botanist and colonist. Oviedo participated in the Spanish colonization of the West Indies, arriving in the first few year ...

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. Puerto Rico La Fortaleza 3c 1937 issue

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 whic ...

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 cr ...

, 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 Jul ...

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 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 = (cloc ...

, 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 The San Juan Nationalist revolt was one of many uprisings against United States Government rule which occurred in Puerto Rico on October 30, 1950 during the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party revolts. Amongst the uprising's main objectives were an a ...

, intending to attack then-governor

Luis Muñoz Marín José Luis Alberto Muñoz Marín (February 18, 1898April 30, 1980) was a Puerto Rican journalist, politician, statesman and was the first elected governor of Puerto Rico, regarded as the "Architect of the Puerto Rico Commonwealth." In 1948 he ...

. 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 listed ...

. and In 1983, La Fortaleza, along with the San Juan National Historic Site, was declared a

Calle Fortaleza with umbrellas in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

In literature

In 2011, Puerto Rican author

Giannina Braschi Giannina Braschi (born February 5, 1953) is a Puerto Rican poet, novelist, dramatist, and scholar. Her notable works include ''Empire of Dreams'' (1988), ''Yo-Yo Boing!'' (1998) ''and United States of Banana'' (2011). Braschi writes cross-genr ...

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 o ...

'', featuring climactic scenes of revolution at La Fortaleza.

References

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

The structure

History

In literature

See also

References

Further reading

External links