Castillo de san cristóbal san juan: Castillo San Cristóbal | Discover Puerto Rico

Castillo de San Cristóbal, Viejo San Juan, Puerto Rico

Blog, Paises, Puerto Rico, San Juan

Por mucho tiempo observábamos el Castillo de San Cristóbal en el Viejo San Juan (Puerto Rico) reconociendo que es una estructura militar muy bien pensada y lograda. En nuestra visita confirmamos lo adelantados que estaban los españoles en cuanto a conocimientos estratégicos militares, convirtiendo el Castillo de San Cristóbal en la fortificación más grande de las Américas.

Todo comienza cuando el primer gobernador de la Isla, Don Juan Ponce de León, en el 1521 traslada la capital a la isleta llamada Puerto Rico*, que gozaba de una gran bahía que permitía la entrada a la Isla mayor de San Juan Bautista*.

Para proteger la bahía se comienza construyendo el fuerte La Fortaleza. Es en el siglo XVI que se construye el Castillo de San Felipe de El Morro en la misma punta de la entrada a la bahía, siendo la primera línea de defensa de los ataques por mar a la ciudad de Puerto Rico*. Como tantas construcciones, se realiza por etapas.

En el 1764, el rey Carlos III ordena una revisión de las defensas de la ciudad de Puerto Rico, encargándole dicha tarea al Mariscal Alexander O’Reilly. Encontrando O’Reilly una gran vulnerabilidad a un ataque por tierra, le encarga al ingeniero Tomás O’Daly desarrollar las líneas de defensas, reforzando el Fortín del Espigón y la Garita del Diablo (construidas en el 1634), entre otras. Así comienza la historia y expansión de lo que se convertiría en la fortificación más grande de las Américas, el Castillo de San Cristóbal. Fue el ingeniero Juan Francisco Mestre quien completó las obras.

El Castillo de San Cristóbal cuenta en su Plaza de Armas con cuarteles para los oficiales, pozos que se nutren de una gran cisterna, barracas para los soldados y la Capilla de Santa Bárbara.

Pudimos desplazarnos a través de su sistema de túneles, experimentando de cierta forma, cómo los soldados podían trasladarse con rapidez entre una estructura y otra, sin poder ser vistos por la fuerza enemiga.

Fue en los túneles que encontramos un calabozo muy particular. Aquí se aprecian dibujos de barcazas realizados por algún prisionero con gran talento. Estos dibujos están muy bien protegidos y se pueden apreciar a través de un cristal.

Los diferentes niveles y formas de las estructuras que componían el Castillo de San Cristóbal, servían para confundir tremendamente al enemigo. Una pequeña fuerza de soldados colocados en un punto, podían dar la impresión de que eran una cantidad mucho mayor, al desplazarse a otro punto con suma rapidez.

Esta línea de defensa cubriría 27 acres de terreno, protegiendo la isleta de norte a sur y hacia el este.

El Castillo de San Cristóbal estaba compuesto por un hornabeque, que no es otra cosa que una fortificación exterior que sirve de punto de defensa contra tropas enemigas. Lograba obligar a la artillería enemiga a situarse más lejos de la fortificación principal para que no llegasen a dañarla. El hornabeque se rodeaba por fosos secos para hacer el acceso aún más difícil.

Observamos que la construcción llegó justo hasta las murallas de la ciudad, cuyas entradas consistían de dos puertas con puentes elevadizos.

Al final de la explanada se encuentra la tercera y última línea de defensa, el Abanico que contaba con sus tres cañones. Y sí, literalmente tiene forma de abanico. A su lado y hacia el mar, se encuentra la Batería de la Princesa, con un polvorín entre ambas estructuras.

Izq – Garita reconstruida en el Castillo de San Cristóbal, Viejo San Juan, Puerto Rico. Se observa el Océano Atlántico. Der – Una de las garitas que encontramos en nuestro recorrido

A través de los años el Castillo de San Cristóbal tendría más modificaciones o mejoras. Las últimas se realizaron durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial por el ejército de los Estados Unidos de América. Su línea de defensa fue especialmente contra los submarinos alemanes y para proteger sus intereses en el Caribe.

Esa estructura reemplazaría la garita antigua que conocemos. Nos parece un poco «espacial» y moderna para principios del siglo XX.

Vista del Océano Atlántico a través del interior de la «garita» construida por el ejército de los Estados Unidos, luego de arrebatarle a España su colonia.

La presencia militar en este fuerte concluye en el 1961, cuando el ejército estadounidense cierra las instalaciones bajo el comando de «Fort Brooke”. Entre esas instalaciones se encuentran: San Felipe de El Morro, Fort Brooke, el Castillo de San Cristóbal, entre otras. Estas estructuras históricas militares pasaron a manos de Parques Nacionales de los Estados Unidos, quienes hasta el presente mantienen su custodia y protección.

* Los nombres de la ciudad y la isla se invirtieron más tarde, Puerto Rico (ciudad) se convirtió en la ciudad de San Juan Bautista y la isla de San Juan Bautista (como originalmente la llamó Cristóbal Colón) se convirtió en Puerto Rico.

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Our $8K Mid-Week Sunset Wedding in San Juan

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We planned it in 3 weeks!

by Yohanis and Joel

Yohanis, Medical Doctor and Instructor in Medicine
+ Joel, Online Education Production Specialist
One sentence sum-up of the wedding vibe: A magical 18th-century castle sunset ceremony that reunited us, at last, with our families.
Planned Budget: $20,000
Actual Budget: $8,000
Number of Guests: 20
Location: Castillo San Cristobal, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Photographer: Marisol Pesquera

Where we allocated the most funds: It was hard to describe what our budget was for our ceremony, given we had originally planned to have an April 2020 ceremony and reception and ended up having only the ceremony and postponing the reception by another year due to Covid restrictions. That being said, for our ceremony, the biggest expense was our photographer who graciously agreed to split the coverage we had already paid for last year and let us use the other half for the reception next year. I had admired her work before we hired her and her flexibility and kindness made hiring her even more worth it!

Where we allocated the least funds: Decorations. Castillo San Cristobal is actually an 18th-century fort that overlooks the ocean. I knew I wanted to get married there the second I saw it and I was so lucky that even through all the re-scheduling it was still able to happen. The sunset was enough to make up for not having any decorations!

What was totally worth it: Having the ceremony on a Wednesday night. After having re-scheduled our wedding twice, when we finally felt comfortable enough to travel home to our families in Puerto Rico safely after the vaccine rollout, we decided we did not want to wait another year to have our ceremony. With all the uncertainty that Covid has brought, we wanted to seize the opportunity. We called our wedding planner and we were able to plan our ceremony venue along with the music, the photographer, and the videographer in just 3 weeks! The caveat, because of the short notice, was that it would have to be on a weeknight because they were already booked for weekends. We were ready and had waited long enough and it ended up being a perfect excuse for our closest family members to get together to watch the sunset on a weeknight after a long day of work.

What was totally not worth it: Having our wedding rings engraved with our initial wedding date! Just kidding! It is part of our story that we will be telling our grandkids someday!

A few things that helped us along the way: Having been a frontline worker during the pandemic and going through the hassle of rescheduling our wedding twice, you stop sweating the small stuff and learn to focus on what is most important. In the end, that meant getting married and sharing that moment with our families, and being grateful that we are alive. Also, hearing stories of other couples in our position through this website was very comforting!

My best practical advice for my planning self: If I could go back to 2018 when I started planning my wedding, I would tell myself not to worry about whether everything would be Pinterest or insta-worthy. There is so much pressure for weddings to look a certain way for social media that it feels like it takes away from the things that are essential. I also would keep the guest list on the smaller side instead of inviting people out of courtesy or because they or their grandmother would be offended. We’re making it through a pandemic. If we have not talked or seen each other during this time, I think people will understand if they are not invited.

Favorite thing about the wedding: Saying our I-dos just as the sun was setting.

Anything else: After the ceremony, we had a pizza dinner which my parents graciously paid for in lieu of the rehearsal dinner they were going to host. We are planning on having our reception in April 2022 and are very excited about it!

Credits

Venue: Castillo San Cristobal | Photographer: Marisol Pesquera | Planner: Alexandra Rodriguez | Yohanis’s Dress: Pronovias | Yohanis’s Shoes: Manolo Blahnik via The Real Real | Joel’s Suit: J.Crew | Bridesmaid Dresses: BHLDN | Flower Girl and Ring Bearer Outfits: Poshmark

Yohanis and Joel

Yohanis and Joel live in Jamaica Plain, Boston. Although they love living in New England, they miss Puerto Rico and go home every chance they can. They both are passionate about their careers and when they are not working, they are usually eating at their favorite spots in the city, spending time outdoors with friends or snuggling at home with their 3 pets.

Published – September 27, 2021
Updated – September 27, 2021Real Weddings

Mexico.

Tour “Mysteries of ancient civilizations of Mesoamerica. Mayan world”

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Mysteries of the ancient civilizations of Mesoamerica. Mayan world

Thematic expedition to Mexico led by the famous Mayan scholar Yuri Polyukhovich

Mexico City – Teotihuacan – Puebla – Oaxaca – Monte Alban – Thule – Tehuantepec – Sumidero Canyon – San Cristobal de Las Catan -s San Juan Chamula – Agua Azul Falls – Palenque – Misol Ha Falls – Xpujil – Calakmul – Campeche – Uxmal – Celestun Reserve – Mérida – Chichen Itza – Cenote Saamal – Riviera Maya

Tour duration: 12 days / 11 nights
Dates: 26.01.22–06.02.22

Starts in Mexico City and ends in Cancun
Group size: limited places, maximum 20
Purpose: Touch the mysteries of the ancient pre-Columbian civilizations of Mesoamerica, explore authentic cultures, the study of Mayan hieroglyphics.

Supervisor: Yuri Polyukhovich, Candidate of Historical Sciences, employee of the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico and other scientific projects in Guatemala and the USA, an international class expert in the study of ancient Mayan hieroglyphic writing.

Cost of the tour per person:

• SNGL – 3760 USD
• DBL – 3195 USD
• TRPL – 3045 USD

In the price included: 9000,9000 9000 9000 9000

• Placement in hotels 4* according in standard rooms
• Accommodation in a 4* hotel in Cancun/Riviera Maya by All Inclusive system
• Comfortable transport with air conditioning and audio-video equipment
• Headphones (radio guides)
• Group transfers: from Mexico City airport to the hotel ; from Cancun/Riviera Maya hotel to airport on fixed program dates
• Support of the Russian-speaking expert guide under the program
• Entrance tickets to museums and archaeological zones, rental of motor boats in Sumidero and Selestune

Additionally paid:

• Medical insurance in the diet. program
• Additional excursions not included in the program

TOUR PROGRAM:

Day 1. 26.01.2022. Mexico City. Arrival

Meeting at the airport with a guide. Hotel accommodation. Rest.

Day 2. 01/27/2022. Mexico City

Breakfast. At 08.00 departure for a sightseeing tour of the city. Visit to the National Anthropological Museum, where the main treasures of the pre-Columbian civilizations of Mexico are collected. Moving to the ruins of the largest city of ancient America Teotihuacan (UNESCO World Heritage Site). Inspection of the ruins. Return to the hotel. Rest.

Day 3. 01/28/2022. Mexico City-Puebla-Oaxaca (490 km)

Breakfast at the hotel.
Early departure (07:00) from the hotel. Transfer from Mexico City to Puebla (UNESCO World Heritage Site) – one of the most beautiful colonial cities in Mexico, famous for its peculiar Mexican Baroque architectural style.
Sightseeing tour of the city center. Moving to Oaxaca (UNESCO World Heritage Site).
Evening walk through the historical center of Oaxaca – the pearl of the colonial cities. Return to the hotel. Rest.

Day 4. 29.01.2022. Oaxaca – Monte Alban – Thule – Tehuantepec (290 km)

Breakfast at the hotel.
Early departure from the hotel at 07:00.
Visit to the capital of the Zapotecs, Monte Alban (UNESCO World Heritage Site). The civilization of the Zapotecs, masters of cranial trepanations, another mysterious people of Mesoamerica, not much inferior to the culture of the Aztecs and Maya. A visit to the town of Thule, where the largest tree in the world grows (UNESCO World Heritage Site), the trunk of which can be clasped by 40 men, holding hands. The tree is 1400 years old!
Arrival in Tehuantepec, hotel accommodation. Rest.

Day 5. 01/30/2022. Tehuantepec – Sumidero Canyon – San Cristobal de Las Casas (380 km)

Breakfast at the hotel.
Departure from the hotel at 07:00.
Visit to Sumidero Canyon. Your attention is invited to travel on motor boats along the full-flowing river Grijalva, where crocodiles live, and in the adjacent forests, the cries of spider monkeys are heard. Stony cliffs rise into the sky to a height of 1200 meters! Unforgettable feelings!
Arrival in the colonial city of San Cristobal de las Casas, which has hardly been touched by the turbulent events of history. Churches of the 16th century, colonial architecture, Indians who do not want to change their traditional outfit for European clothes, selling simple local souvenirs, the sounds of the marimba – the local xylophone, cobbled pavements – all this sets you in a philosophical mood. Hotel accommodation. Rest.

Day 6. 01/31/2022. San Cristobal de Las Casas – Sinacantan – San Juan Chamula – Agua Azul – Palenque (250 km)

Breakfast at the hotel.
Departure from the hotel at 07:00. Want to see the descendants of the famous Maya? Welcome to the town of Sinakantan – the place of residence of one of the Mayan peoples – the Tzotzil tribe, who have managed to preserve their traditions, way of life, language, and even continue to wear the clothes of their distant ancestors. The Tzotzili showed a certain flexibility, managing to introduce Catholic elements into their foundations.
Visit to the Tzotzil Mayan temple in San Juan Chamula, where the modern Maya perform unique rituals of animal sacrifice… How does it actually happen? Watch with us! You can’t just take pictures. After all, along with the picture, you can take the soul of a person with you …
Visit to the picturesque waterfall – Agua Azul, where you will have the opportunity to swim.
Arrival in Palenque and accommodation at the hotel. Rest.

Day 7. 01.02.2022. Palenque – Misol Ha – Xpujil (380 km)

Breakfast at the hotel.
Departure from the hotel at 07:00.
Today the excursion program will begin with a tour of Palenque (UNESCO World Heritage Site) – one of the most beautiful and largest Mayan cities in the southern zone (Temples of the Cross, Leaf Cross, Sun, Palace of the Rulers, Temple of the Inscriptions, Tomb of the Scarlet Queen, Otolum aqueduct, etc. ) .
Drive to one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the Chiapas jungle: Misol Ha. It was here that in 1987 the main episodes of the feature film “Predator” were filmed, with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the title role.
Moving to Xpuhil. Hotel accommodation. Rest.

Day 8. 02.02.2022. Xpujil – Calakmul (120 km) – Campeche (300 km)

Breakfast at the hotel.
Departure from the hotel at 07:00. Moving to Calakmul (UNESCO World Heritage site) – the largest in size (70 sq. Km) and the most powerful Mayan city of the 6th-7th centuries. Among other things – the largest Mayan pyramid in Mexico – “Structure 2” 55 meters high, the largest number of stone monuments – 120 stelae, a huge number of temples and architectural monuments (more than 6 thousand).
The incomparable nature of Mexico’s largest biosphere reserve.
Moving to Campeche (UNESCO World Heritage Site). Evening walk through the city center, famous for its colonial architecture and fortifications of the 16th-19th centuries. Hotel accommodation. Rest.

Day 9. 03.02.2022. Campeche – Uxmal (170 km) – Celestun Biosphere Reserve (150 km) – Mérida (110 km)

Breakfast at the hotel.
Departure from the hotel at 07:00 for Uxmal (UNESCO World Heritage Site). Among its monuments, such architectural masterpieces as the “Pyramid of Wizards” and the “Palace of Rulers” stand out, which are also called “dance in stone” due to the carved decor.
Departure in the direction of the Celestun nature reserve, viewing it on boats (approximately 2 hours). About 10,000 animals and birds live on the territory of the reserve (591 sq.m.), including a large colony of pink flamingos. Here you can see the little white heron, cormorants, white pelican, wagtail and other birds. There is also a large colony of crocodiles, rare species of turtles – a total of 554 species of animals, of which 15 species are endemic. For example, here you can meet a spider monkey, an anteater and several unique species of eagle owls.
Arrival in Merida. Hotel accommodation. Rest.

Day 10. 04.02.2022. Merida – Chichen Itza (120 km) – Cenote Saamal – Cancun/Riviera Maya

Breakfast at the hotel.
Departure from the hotel at 07:00 and transfer to the hotel on the Riviera Maya. On the way – visit to the archaeological zone of Chichen Itza (UNESCO World Heritage site). Inspection of the ruins. Pyramid “Kukulkan” or “El Castillo” is one of the new seven wonders of the world. On the way, swimming in the Cenote Saamal.
Arrival and accommodation at the hotel in Cancun or Riviera Maya (All Inclusive). Rest.
Day 11. 05.02.2022 — Cancun/Riviera Maya
Rest at the hotel in the Riviera Maya (All Inclusive)

Day 12. 06.02.2022 — Cancun/Riviera Maya

Check-out from the hotel. Airport transfer.

Notes:

• The National Palace is not always open to the public. The host company reserves the right to miss the visit to the palace on the occasion of events in the central Zócalo square, visits by officials and other circumstances that may affect the closure of the palace.
• The start and end times of the services specified in the program may vary depending on traffic and other unforeseen circumstances.
• The travel plan may be partially changed due to weather conditions or force majeure
• Group transfers from the airport to the hotel at the point of arrival for the tour and from the hotel to the airport at the point of return from the tour are provided to tourists whose flight is carried out according to fixed dates group programs. In case of deviation from fixed dates, the tourist pays for the transfers on his own, while, if necessary, assistance is provided in organizing individual transfers.

Cruise on an American liner in the Caribbean.: antonika30 — LiveJournal

At the beginning of September 2014, I was on a trip on an American cruise liner in the Caribbean islands of St. Thomas, Puerto Rico, Half Moon Key Bahamas, Grand Turk.

This is the route. Departed from Miami.
Cruises are very popular in the USA. Cruises to the Caribbean, Alaska, Mexico, Europe. There are a lot of routes. It is so developed in the United States that it is not even very expensive. It can be said that it is accessible to everyone.

On the morning of August 31, after a long five-hour flight from San Francisco, we finally settled on the ship.

This is our cabin with a balcony. You can’t see the balcony)

I really liked the idea of ​​cruise liners. The ship has 11 floors, 2900 passengers, 1100 attendants, 3 disco clubs, 12 bars, 20 restaurants, 3 swimming pools, 1 gym, 1 cinema, jacuzzi, casino, dozens of shops.
Everything is included here except alcohol. At the time of check-in, each passenger is given a cabin key card, which is linked to your credit card. All purchases on the ship in shops, bars, casinos that are made during the cruise are paid for with a key card from the cabin. Food, non-alcoholic drinks are absolutely free, no additional payments are required. Restaurants are open from 6 am to 12 am. from 12 midnight to 5 am they say fresh pizza that we made a habit of eating after a disco, a bar) Also, at any time of the day or night, you can drink any non-alcoholic drinks (tea, coffee, juices, lemonade, water, milk.

First stop HALF MOON BAY BAHAMAS one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. Pure turquoise water, sand like baby powder.

A great place to lie on the sand without thinking about anything, and without worrying about anything. The water is hot, I think +28)

After a great day, we return to the ship and enjoy the entertainment on the liner.

Show on the ship.
Every morning, a program of events for the whole day was brought to each cabin. All day we are entertained to the fullest. In the evenings, thematic shows were held in the concert hall. These were mostly American musicals.

Next stop San Tomas

Finally we got to Puerto Rico. I really wanted to visit this island.
A bit of history.
First of all, I would like to say that Puerto Rico is an American territory.
November 19, 1493 Christopher Columbus landed on the island.
The island was inhabited by Indians who called themselves the Taino. The colonization of the island by the Spaniards began in 1508. But in the end, the local Indians died out as a result of diseases that the Spaniards and Africans brought with them.
In the 16th century, the city was turned into a port, protecting the galleons that transported gold from the American colonies to Spain. And soon San Juan became “the main stronghold of Spain in America.”

Since 1952, Puerto Rico has had the status of a freely affiliated state with the rights of self-government. The supreme legislative power belongs to the US Congress. Executive power is exercised by the governor, who is elected by the population for a term of four years. Population 3,725,789Human.

Fortress and historical part of the city of San Juan.
Visitors can also enter the fortress, which consists of six levels and includes a labyrinth of tunnels, barracks, prison cells, passageways and warehouses.

And this is a barracks, the first thing that caught my eye was small beds, the guide said that the soldiers of that time were barely 1 meter 50 cm tall. Therefore, it certainly looks like a toy.

This is Fort Castillo de San Cristobal. The fort was built by the Spanish in 1783 and is the largest fortification built by the Spanish in the New World. Fort Castillo de San Cristobal is part of the San Juan National Historic Museum. The entrance to the fort is through the gate of San Cristobal.
This is the actual gate.
It is one of the main historical sights of Puerto Rico, as well as an important monument of military architecture of the 18th century. The castle consists of several layers of walls, each of which is well fortified in order to slow down a possible enemy.