Castillo de San Felipe del Morro — A Castle Fort in Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
The New World of the Americas held within untold amounts of treasure and none took advantage of this more than the kingdom of Spain. As the first to discover the new land, Spain quickly found out how rich the New World was, and soon after conquistadors like Cortez and Pizarro conquered the empires of the Americas, the kings and queens of Spain set up colonies to plunder its riches. So much treasure was found that they started even hearing about more riches like the lost golden city of El Dorado and the Fountain of Youth. Even when the Spanish failed to find these legends, they still had vast treasure fleets to take back to Spain. Piracy became a problem not just from notorious pirates like Blackbeard but also from “privateers,” pirates commissioned by other kingdoms like England to steal their gold. And so, to protect their treasure fleets as well as their new possessions in the New World, the Spanish set up ports all along the coast of Mexico, Florida, and the Caribbean.
One major port was the port of San Juan. The city of San Juan was previously called Puerto Rico (“rich port” in Spanish) and the island named San Juan (in honor of St. John the Baptist) but at some point, the names switched to what we have today. With a name like Puerto Rico, pirates soon targeted the island in search of spoils, and with the assent of the town, the Spanish began to fortify the island. They built castle forts on the island like the Castillo de San Cristobal and La Fortaleza, now the Governor’s residence, but none were as impressive as the Castillo de San Felipe del Morro.
El Morro Castle
Also known as El Morro Castle, the Castillo de San Felipe del Morro faces the Atlantic Ocean; its ominous cannon laden sea walls ever on the lookout for enemies as it guards the entrance to San Juan Harbor. Construction first began over 400 years ago in 1539 under the orders of King Charles V, but its final design didn’t become complete until 1587. This formidable stone fortress, one of the largest fortifications built by Spain in the New World, rises in six staggered levels from sea level with impregnable sea walls hugging the “el morro” or rocky promontory. Unlike the castles of the Middle Ages defended by arrows and swords, guns and cannons protected the citadel. Even today, cannons line all along the ramparts adding firepower to its arsenal and garitas (sentry turrets) look out to the sea which were used as lookout points for enemy vessels during the Castillo’s heyday. A lighthouse was first built atop the Castillo in 1848 but was destroyed by the United States during the Spanish American War. The United States built a second lighthouse on the citadel shortly after wresting the castle from Spain in 1898, and these lighthouses provided a point of reference not found in the other castle forts of Puerto Rico.
Inside, the Castillo contains military rooms like a barracks and storehouses for guns and ammunition as well as a chapel for worship. The lower levels, however, has dungeons to house prisoners although they weren’t built as “dungeons” but merely rooms in the lower levels converted to prisons. A main plaza can be found in the middle of the Castillo used for military parades or a place for soldiers to gather. The Castillo’s well can also be found in the Main Plaza.
Wars and Battles
Over the years, El Morro Castle has seen its share of battles. Not counting random pirate skirmishes, The British and the Dutch have tried to take the castle during the Age of Exploration. Sir Francis Drake, himself commanding a fleet, tried to take the castle but failed in his attempt. The Duke of Cumberland, George Clifford, did try and succeeded in taking the Castillo when he attacked in a surprise attack over land but only held the fort for six months. A dysentery epidemic decimated his ranks and led to the Duke’s defeat in 1598. The Spanish built city walls and another castle, the Castillo de San Cristobal, to protect the landward side of the city.
It was America, however, who finally took the Castillo. With cries of “To Hell with Spain, Remember the Maine” in reference to the sinking of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor whether from an accident or by Spanish treachery, the American fleet attacked San Juan during the Spanish American War. American generals correctly saw Puerto Rico as an important waystation for the Spanish fleet where they could rest and restock from the long voyage from far-away Spain. In May of 1898, under the command of Rear Admiral William T. Sampson, the warships the Detroit, the Indiana, the Terror, his flagship the Yale, and other ships bombarded El Morro Castle. The Spanish defended the castle as best they could firing cannons from atop its ramparts and inside its walls, but America’s firepower was too much for the aging fort. Sampson’s fleet destroyed huge portions of the Castillo and with Spanish defenses in Puerto Rico neutralized, America then set up a blockade of the island.
The Spanish American War ended with a resounding Spanish defeat, and they were forced to cede their possessions of Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Guam to America. Cuba became an American protectorate and gained independence in 1902. The Bombardment of San Juan was the last time the Castillo de San Felipe del Morro saw battle.
Today, the Castillo de San Felipe del Morro is now a national park. Visitors who visit Old San Juan can pay for an affordable annual pass and see the Castillo and other sites in the San Juan National Historic Site. Though in retirement, the Castillo de San Felipe del Morro still guards the entrance to San Juan Bay to this day, a magnificent and fateful castle in the American territory of Puerto Rico.
