Viejas Architectures

OLD ARCHITECTURE IN PR ESAY 3

An architectural product or work. The discipline dealing with the principles of design and construction and ornamentation of fine buildings. The profession ofdesigning buildings and environments with consideration for their esthetic effect.

The Columbus Quincentennial in 1992 sparked a major refurbishing of the colonial architecture of Puerto Rico. Theisland's architectural heritage is Spanish, of course, as seen in the narrow, winding cobblestone streets and the pastel-colored, tile-roofed buildings with ornate balconies and heavy wooden doors that openonto inner courtyards in the style of Andalusia in southern Spain. Current restoration and renewal projects focus on Old San Juan and the city of Ponce. It is estimated that there are at least 400structures of historic value in Old San Juan, including some of the finest examples of Spanish colonial architecture in the New World. Old San Juan was Spain's major center of commerce and military powerin the West Indies for nearly four centuries. Spain ordered that the city be protected by sandstone walls and massive fortresses, since the island was the first port of call for galleons entering theWest Indies and the last safe harbor for ships, laden with treasures, making the return trip to Cadíz or Seville.

Because Old San Juan had no space for expansion, new buildings had to be erectedto the east of the old town, in what is known today as the modern city of San Juan. Thus, most of the old structures have survived more or less since the 16th-century. The most notable of these includeEl Morro Fortress, the San Juan Cathedral, and the Dominican Convent. Casa Blanca, a mansion built for the island's first governor, Ponce de León, still stands. On a walking tour of Old San Juan, youwill see an architectural melange of buildings that range from the style popular during the Spanish Conquest to the neoclassical style of the 19th century. The most significant of all is El Morro...