Since being stationed in the town of Mindo for my service portion of SST, I’ve noticed a big cultural difference between U.S. Mennonites and Ecuadorian “Mindo-nites” – pun intended 🙂 approaches to life. There’s a palpable sense of serenity and…
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Castillo San Cristóbal, La Fortaleza, y Proyecto culinar
May 03 2025
Blog by Isaac & Richard
May 2, 2025
Day two in San Juan began around 10:00 am with a walk to Castillo San Cristóbal. Named after the patron saint of land travelers, Saint Christopher Castillo, San Cristóbal is a fortress in the historic district of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, known as the largest fortification built by the Spanish in the New World. Built in 1783 the citadel was primarily built to protect Old San Juan from land based attacks. We spent our time exploring the fort’s narrow passageways, historic cannon rooms, lookout towers, and even playing with crabs that lined the fortress paths.
After indulging in Puerto Rican street tacos for lunch the group made our way to our second stop of the day at La Fortaleza. Originally built as a defensive fortress, La Fortaleza was converted into the governor’s house in 1846 and is still in use for that purpose through today, making it the oldest continuously inhabited governor’s mansion in the western hemisphere. Our tour guide took us through the many elegant rooms of the mansion. While informing us about the history and current use of the rooms. It was amazing to see the intricate details that made each room unique and special. The governor’s mansion also was lined with portraits of Puerto Rico’s previous leaders; my personal favorite was the portrait of Pedro Pierluisi.
After La Fortaleza a few members of our group and I went to get some gelato while others went grocery shopping or rested back at the apartments. We ended the day by sharing our dishes we made with our roommates for the culinary project. My group and I made the popular Spanish desserts Arroz con leche and Tembleque. Other dishes included Mofongo, Tostones, Pineapple & Ham dip, and Habichuelas y chuletas.
In the “Salón de Espejos” (room of mirrors) at La Fortaleza
The office of Jennifer González-Colón, the current governor of Puerto Rico
In the library at La Fortaleza
The blue room at La Fortaleza
In the library at La Fortaleza
The governor likes Starbursts, or enjoys sharing them
One of many small cangrejos (crabs) that crawl from the beach through cracks in the castle walls all the way to three or four floors above sea level
The basketball court in La Perla neighborhood, which is the neighborhood where the viral video “Despacito” was recorded
At Supermax, a grocery store in Old San Juan. Historically, this building was one of the fashion stores that Doña Fela (Felisa Rincón de Gautier) owned. She was the first female mayor of San Juan.
What Mindo Taught Me to See
A Day in the Life: Working on a Flower Farm
For my service, I work in Cayambe with an organization called FACE. Under FACE there are other organizations; Casa Hogar, Sumak, Centro Medico Emmanuel, and Forever Flowers. They work together to help break the cycle of abuse and neglect in…