As you’ve walked along Paseo De La Princesa you might’ve noticed the large body of water on your left hand side. This is the Bay of San Juan. El Morro was designed to protect this bay against enemy ships or pirates who were trying to invade.
If you look across the bay there is a another small section of the fort located on Isla De Cabras. The two sections would make a crossfire with cannon balls to stop ships. In addition to this, there used to be a chain that extended across the bay. This chain was hoisted up whenever there were ships they did not want to come in, then dropped down into the water if the boat was intended to come in.
If you want to see a small section of this chain (18 links), check out Pigeon Park within the Photo Spot Recommendations.
The Gate of San Juan was originally erected in 1635 and used to be the access point for civilians coming into the city. There were originally 5 gates, but this is the last remaining of the 5. The other gates were typically used for merchant/ military use. Some of these gates were removed when they removed a section of the fort for quick access into the city.
This pathway extends around the main part of El Morro along the water. We recommend entering through the Gate of San Juan. This pathway can be very hot during the day, and there is only one entrance (The gate of San Juan) and one exit. This path will add a bit of time to your tour where there aren’t any locations.
Our recommendation is to hit this pathway as the sun is setting. At this time it will be a much lower temperature. It is also very romantic as the sun sets!
Take notice to 2 things as you enter through the gate. This is one of 2 places during the tour where you can really see how thick the walls of the fort are. The walls vary in thickness, but average around 18-25 feet. After passing through the gate you may notice the blue cobblestones. These were important all the way from Spain! The cobblestones get their blueish color from the way they were casted in an oven. The slag on the outer layer of the stones has been taking in moisture and heat for 100s of years giving them this unique look!
Want to Earn $5 off?
Take a photo next to the Gate, and 4 other photo spot locations. Then up load them to our google page.