| Photo Information |
Copyright: JC Ramos (jramos)
![Silver Note Writer [C: 7 W: 1 N: 77]](http://i1.treklens.com/misc/n-n-s.gif) (389) |
| Genre: Places |
| Medium: Color |
| Date Taken: 2009-06-17 |
| Categories: Architecture |
| Camera: Canon PowerShot S50 |
| Exposure: f/2.8, 1/320 seconds |
| More Photo Info: [view] |
| Photo Version: Original Version |
| Date Submitted: 2009-10-31 20:17 |
| Viewed: 65 |
| Points: 0 |
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
The Castillo de San Cristóbal is a Spanish fort in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was built by the Spaniards to protect against land based attacks on the city of San Juan. It is part of San Juan National Historic Site.
Castillo de San Cristóbal is the largest fortification built by the Spanish in the New World. When it was finished in 1783 it covered about 27 acres of land, basically wrapping the city of San Juan. Entry to the city was sealed by San Cristóbal's double gates. After close to one hundred years of relative peace in the area, part of the fortification (about a third) was demolished in 1897 to help ease the flow of traffic in and out of the walled city.
Most of San Juan's fortified walls have guerites (sentry boxes, "garitas" to the locals) at various points. One of the guerites at Fort San Cristóbal is called "The Devil's Guerite" ("La Garita del Diablo"). This particular guerite is one of the oldest parts of the fort being built in 1634.
Legend says that soldiers disappeared randomly from the guerite. However, it is mostly believed - and told so in various local stories - that the only soldier that apparently disappeared did so to escape with his girlfriend. However, the legend still surrounds the guerite and most people ask for it when visiting the fort. |
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