Fortín San Juan de la Cruz ( English: Fort Saint John of the Cross), most commonly known as El Cañuelo, was built on Isla de Cabras in the Palo Seco barrio of the municipality of Toa Baja, at the western end of the entrance to

San Juan Bay San Juan Bay () is a Bay#Types, semi-enclosed bay, estuary, and harbor connected to the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean in the northeastern coastal plain of Puerto Rico. Surrounded by the capital Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality o ...

, in

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

. The square coastal fort has massive sandstone walls that date back to the 1630s. Although the U.S. Navy bombarded the fort in 1898, the fort survived. Today the fort is part of the San Juan National Historic Site, which is listed as a

UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

and on both the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

and the

Puerto Rico Register of Historic Sites and Zones The Puerto Rico Register of Historic Sites and Zones (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Registro Nacional de Sitios y Zonas Históricas'') is a Government of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rican government program adopted by the state Puerto Rico Planning Board, ...

. The fort is not open to visitors, but it can be viewed from its exterior.

History

The original fort built on this site in the late 1500s was made of wood; it burned to the ground in 1625 during a Dutch attack. However, the

Spaniards Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance-speaking ethnic group native to the Iberian Peninsula, primarily associated with the modern nation-state of Spain. Genetically and ethnolinguistically, Spaniards belong to the broader Southern a ...

replaced it with a stone fort between 1630 and 1660. El Cañuelo was the smallest fort in the harbor defense system. Cannon fire from the fort and from

Castillo San Felipe del Morro Castillo San Felipe del Morro (English language , English: Promontory Castle of Saint Philip), most commonly known as ''El Morro'' (The Promontory), is a large Medieval fortification, fortress and citadel in the Old San Juan historic quarter of ...

created a crossfire to protect the entrance to San Juan bay. The fort also guarded the mouth of the Bayamón River on the other side. reportedly, at one time, there was a huge chain crossing from ''El Morro'' to ''El Cañuelo'' that was extended during attacks to provide a physical barricade across the bay entrance. On 12 May 1898, during the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

, the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

bombarded El Cañuelo as part of its

bombardment of San Juan The Bombardment of San Juan, or the First Battle of San Juan, on 12 May 1898 was an engagement between United States Navy warships and the Spain, Spanish fortifications of San Juan, Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was the first major ac ...

. Spanish records do not list any guns or troops at El Cañuelo at the time.

Other information

The square

fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

is about 80 feet (24 m) per side, with one guerite (''garita'' in Spanish). It covers an estimated area. El Cañuelo Island was originally a rocky islet completely surrounded by water and accessible only by boat. A some point after 1986 nearby Isla de Cabras was artificially expanded to incorporate it. A

causeway A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet T ...

connects Isla de Cabras to the main island; the road is Puerto Rico Highway 870, and it passes by the fort as it reaches the island. The site features fabulous views of Boca Vieja Cove to the west and San Juan Bay to the east. The fort itself is closed to the public, but one can walk around its walls. There is a small recreation area with picnic tables at the site of the fort.

Citations

References

* Nofi, Albert A., ''The Spanish American War, 1898'', 1997. * Carrasco García, Antonio, ''En Guerra con Los Estados Unidos: Cuba, 1898'', Madrid: 1998. * Freidel, Frank Burt. ''The Splendid Little War.'' Boston: Little, Brown,1958. *Blow, Michael. ''A Ship to Remember: The Maine and the Spanish–American War.'' New York : Morrow, 1992. .

External links

Spanish–American War Centennial Website

in

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 countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

El Cañuelo

San Juan National Historic Site Toa Baja, Puerto Rico Sea forts 17th-century establishments in Puerto Rico San Juan de la Cruz 1630s establishments in New Spain Historic district contributing properties in Puerto Rico Government buildings completed in the 17th century {{DEFAULTSORT:Fortín San Juan de la Cruz

History

Other information

See also

Citations

References

External links