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US Commonwealth
Puerto Rico became a US Territory following the Spanish-American War in 1898 and its residents became US citizens in 1917. It has been a US Commonwealth since 1952. Commonwealths have their own constitutions and greater autonomy than "territories." Puerto Rico's constitution and government structure is similar to those of the 50 US states, and it participates in many US Federal government programs.
[ I have received many emails about this website from Puerto Ricans who are now living in the mainland US. The "territory" issue is somewhat contentious. One email, for example, stated: "As far as Puerto Rico's current political status is concerned, I'd like to point out that many of us would disagree with your conclusion that Puerto Rico is no longer a "territory." Although it is true that Puerto Rico enjoys a higher degree of self-rule in the handling of its local affairs, the Island is still subject to the unilateral rule of the U.S. Congress, where the commonwealth is represented only by a resident commissioner, an elected official who sits in the U.S. House of Representatives but has no voting rights on the floor."]
Below is a causeway bridge across the Laguna San Jose next to the island's international airport.
Freeways are built to US mainland standards, and are the best in the Caribbean.
El Capitolio (the capitol building), below, was a gift from the the US government in 1925. Rallies for and against statehood take place in the front of the building whenever the issue arises in the state legislature.
A license plate commemorating the establishment of Commonwealth status in 1952.
Puerto Rico - "Island of the Enchantment" (below) and a bumper sticker calling for Peace for Vieques. Vieques is an island that belongs to Puerto Rico. Two-thirds of the island has been used by the US Navy since WWII as a base and a bombing range. Local protests brought the bombings to an end in 2001.
On May 1, 2003, the US military ceded about 15,000 acres of its land to the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Along with roughly 3,100 additional acres from the western end that the Navy had transferred two years earlier, the USFWS has created the Vieques National Wildlife Refuge, one of the largest nature preserves in the Caribbean. Though about 9,000 or so acres of the refuge remain off limits while the Navy clears the land of contaminants and unexploded ordnance, large sections are already open to the public - not to mention to turtles, pelicans, lizards and about 130 types of birds. (Note: I tried to go to Vieques while I was in Puerto Rico, but figuring out how the ferry system worked was beyond my ability! - Dr. Lew)
For this Field Trip, we will start in Old San Juan, the historic old city center of San Juan. We will then go east to El Yunque, the most prominent peak on Puerto Rico (not shown on this map, but close to El Toro), then east to the middle of the island, then over the Cordillera Central to the southern coast. Puerto Rico measures approximately 100 miles long and 35 miles wide.
Old San Juan
Old San Juan is situated at the tip of a peninsula at the entrance to San Juan Bay.
Old San Juan is a dense area of narrow streets and colorful architecture reflecting 400 years of Spanish influence.
Catholic Church influences are common...
Catedral de San Juan (below)
Plazuela de la Rogativa (Small Plaza of the Religious Procession), below, commemorates a procession lead by the bishop of San Juan during the British siege of 1797. According to legend, the night-time, torch-lit procession tricked the British into withdrawing from the siege fearing they were outnumbered by newly arrived Spanish reinforcements.
Signs of modernity and gentrification are also common. It is hard to believe that in the 1970s, much of Old San Juan was run down and derelict.
Old San Juan today is a cultural magnet for Puerto Ricans during the weekends and on holidays.
And it rivals the beaches in its importance for tourism.
Although Christopher Columbus claimed the island of Puerto Rico for Spain in 1493, Juan Ponce de Leon (statue below) is seen as the island's founding father because he brought the first colonists there in 1508 while searching for gold and the "Fountain of Youth." (Christopher Colombus was actually Italian and real name was "Cristoforo Colombo" in Italian and was known as "Cristobal Colon" in Spanish. )
At the time of settlement, the site of Old San Juan was an island that was chosen for protection from the native Indians who inhabited Puerto Rico. Castillo del Morro (below) was built on the island's rocky headland at the entrance to San Juan Bay to defend against enemy attacks by land and sea.
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First built as a simple tower, "El Morro" evolved into this massive
fort as Puerto Rico became threatened first by pirates and later by European
nations. The famous Caribbean Pirate, Roberto Cofresi, was captured and executed at El Morro in 1825. Like Robin Hood, he was known for sharing the booty with the poor.
For more than 300 years, Great Britain, France, and the Netherlands struggled with Spain for rule here. Despite four attacks on El Morro, Spain held Puerto Rico and remained a dominant force in the Caribbean.
San Juan is the second largest port for cruise ships in the Western Hemisphere, after Miami. In 2002, some 24 ships called San Juan their home port or port of departure. For many more, San Juan is a port of call.
Old San Juan recieves over one million cruise tourists a year. Hawkers line the street below to greet the them with goods for sale.
The cruise ships dock on the San Juan Bay side (southern side) of Old San Juan. The newer parts of San Juan can be seen in the distance.
Due east of Old San Juan are the beach resort districts of Condado, Ocean Park and Isla Verde.
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This area is the "Waikiki" of Puerto Rico and a popular sun, sand and sea destination for mainland Americans.
Optional: Short mpeg video of Isla Vista, above.
Interior Mountains
Physical Geography - Puerto Rico has four physiographic zones. The high peaks of the Cordillera Central were uplifted by plate tectonics and resulting volcanic activities. To the north of this ridge line are lower lying limestone foothills. Areas of coastal lowland plains lie on the northern and southern sides of the islands.
El Yunque (3,500 feet / 1049 meters) is the most prominent and revered peak in the cluster of mountains that dominate the northeastern corner of the island (far right in the satellite image above). El Yunque ("The Anvil") is the peak on the left below, looking down on the city of San Juan. The mountain range is the Sierra de Luquillo. (The highest peak in Puerto Rico is Cerro Puntas, also known locally as La Puntilla, located in the Cordillera Central. It rises 4,389 feet above sea level in the southeastern part of the island.)
Puerto Rico is one of the vertices to the "Bermuda Triangle", and is known for many UFO sightings. It is also said that there is an underground alien base at the "Yunque" where the famous little aliens with big heads and huge eyes reside.
Lush tropical vegetation covers the slopes of El Yunque, below.
The Caribbean National Forest is the only tropical rain forest in the US national forest system and is home to the endangered Puerto Rican Parrot
Hiking trails in the national forest, many with interpretive signage, take visitors to waterfalls and swimming holes, such as this one below.
Optional: Short mpeg video of the swimming hole above.
The upper canopy of the rain forest where trees and vines compete for sunshine, while helping to moderate the temperatures below.
Karst Country
The northern foothills of the Cordillera Central is composed of heavily eroded limestone. This part of the island was underwater during most of the ice ages (prior to about 15,000 years ago) and the decomposed bodies of shellfish and plants built up a thick layer of limestone on top of the island's volcanic core.
Limestone is easily eroded by water and as this area uplifted out of the sea, the tropical rains shaped it into rolling hillocks, like those above. Many of these limestone hills contains caves. The Cavernas del Rio Camuy is one of the largest cave complexes in the world. Stalactites dominate the main entrance to the complex is below.
The Rio Camuy can be seen briefly, below, as it gushes between underground caverns.
Also situated in Karst Country is the Arecibo Observatory, home of the world's largest radio telescope.
The view below-right (from a postcard) gives you a good idea of what the karst limestone landscape in Puerto Rico is like. Roadways tend to be narrow and winding in this region.
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Optional: Short mpeg video of the radio telescope above.
A Gregorian Dome is suspended above the disk (above and below) and is moved horizontally to "point" the telescope in different directions of the sky. Radio waves bounce off the disk and are concentrated inside the Dome.
The Arecibo Observatory was feature in several motion pictures, including "Contact" and "Golden Eye" (James Bond).
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The Karst Country area is centered near the city of Utuado on the map below.
The Cordillera Central, like El Yunque, is volcanic in origin. The southern slopes, below, are less densely vegetated.
Sugar cane fields traditionally dominated the lowland landscapes, as well as the Puerto Rican economy, up until the 1990s when manufacturing and service industries became more important. The transition away from an agricultural-based economy transformed Puerto Rico from poverty to the wealthiest island in the Caribbean (though incomes still lag far behind those of the mainland US).
A banana plantation.
Oil refining amongst the sugar cane.
Houses scattered over the Cordillera Central.
Modern tract homes going up on the south side of the island.
They are small by mainland US standards, but neatly maintained and probably very affordable.
View of the southern coastal lowlands.
Sheep and cattle grazing on the drier slopes toward the southwestern side of the island.
Isla Caja de Muertos (Coffin Island), below, is a wildlife refuge and one of the driest places in Puerto Rico.
SCUBA diving is also a very popular recreation activity in Puerto Rico and nearby islands.
The southwestern coastline of the island (above and below) is the driest and contains a relatively rare coastal dry forest ecosystem, which includes desert cacti and succulents.
Ponce, on the southern coast
The city of Ponce is the center of the southern region. It is famed for its traditional Spanish plaza, called Plaza de Delicias (Plaza of Delights), with its fountain and Catedral Guadalupe, below.
Tourist transport in the center of Ponce.
Ponce is also known for its unique style of Carnival (Mardi Gras) costume, below.
A Pedestrian shopping street in Ponce.
The street vendors on the left, above, and below, are selling shaved ice (snow cones), which are common throughout hot Puerto Rico, and come in a wide variety of flavors.
This tourist enjoys a shaved ice in downtown Ponce. The red and black building (Arabian style) across the street is the former fire station, which is now a fire museum.
Food
Local tropical fruits are sold streetside throughout the island, such as in Ponce, below.
And here in San Juan...
And in the Karst Country...
And in the lowlands below El Yunque...
Mofongo is a national dish made of mashed plantains and served throughout the island in all types of restaurants. Although plantains look like bananas, they taste more like potatoes.
Typical Puerto Rican foods, below. Mofongo is the ball-shaped item. Bananas are also a local staple. The one below is stuffed with meat and cheese.
Modernization, Americanization, or Globalization ?
Of course, fast food is also readily available...
Puerto Rico has served as a starting point for mainland stores hoping to expand into Latin America.
A large shopping mall in San Juan, above, and a Belz Factory Outlet World outside of San Juan, below.
Note the guard tower for watching over the parking lots both above and below.
Puerto Rico may not yet be the 51st state in name, but in many other ways it is very much part of the US.
