Castillo San Felipe Del Morro is one of the iconic sites to visit in Old San Juan. Its long history stretches back hundreds of years. Learn how it was used to protect the island, and from whom. And watch for a surprise!
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Editing: Beto Greenawalt Titles and Design: Lisa Hamm-Greenawalt, Hammster Media LLC Music: "Little Tomcat" by Josh Woodward. Free download at joshwoodward.com.
Today we are going to the Castillo San Felipe del Morro.
Here it is.
We're going to walk up there.
With all this clear ground.
It's done on purpose.
To be a defensive attack point.
So we can see the Morro from the sea.
But also the land.
By keeping it covered.
To see what we are being attributed to.
This is the pathway.
Passage here into El Morro.
And over here.
One of these iconic pictures of San Juan.
Just looking out over the shoreline.
And now to the Castillo de San Cristobal.
And La Prada.
There's the Atlantic Ocean.
We're about ready to enter.
Used to be a drawbridge here.
And this is part of the dry moat.
That also protected the fort.
Which is here on the headlands.
Protecting and guarding the inner harbor of San Juan.
San Juan actually was the first large harbor with fresh water.
That the Europeans would encounter when they sailed west from Europe.
So that's why they made San Juan and Puerto Rico here so strategically important.
Actually the Spanish defended this area for close to 400 years.
Because of its strategic importance.
A couple of cruise ships here today.
So we have a few more people than we've seen in the past.
But here again the tres banderas.
United States flag.
The Puerto Rican flag.
And the battle flag of Spain.
That's the Burgundy Cross.
The military flag of Spain.
Pretty interesting here that they still fly here over this fort.
Looking out into the old city here.
This place has got six levels.
I think we're on level six now.
Over here is Isla de Cambres.
It also provided some defense of the inner harbor.
But also in the 1800s it had a hospital for a leprechaun.
Now it's a recreation area that you can actually drive to.
So there's a little beach, some concessions.
Maybe interesting to take a day trip there at some point in time.
Going into the Garita.
That is just stunning.
Just hanging out here on the wall.
Saw a few of these the other day in the other fort.
Living quarters.
It's interesting the Spanish roots into the Caribbean.
And the western hemisphere from Spain.
Puerto Rico being the first stop.
And then out through all the other places.
Veracruz and Cuba and Santo Domingo.
Very interesting.
Interesting for us is Veracruz.
Because we were actually in Acapulco.
And Acapulco was the port that the Spanish brought things from the Philippines into.
And then they traveled by land.
They moved that stuff by land from Acapulco to Veracruz.
Down the ramp to level four.
Looking out into the Atlantic.
And harbor entrance.
Another level.
And a walkway on the outside of it.
That must be the paseo.
There's a survey in the ocean here.
This is the original tower.
And they're commonly referred to now as level two.
The place has its origins from 1539.
And here, the San Juan National Historic Site and La Fortaleza
have been designated a World Heritage Site since 1983.
So thanks for walking through San Felipe del Morro de Las.
We found this fort to be fascinating.
We hope you do too.
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And until then, may your suitcase always be messy.
Hasta luego!
