Arriving in San Juan

After arriving in San Juan late Wednesday night, May 3, we jumped right in the next day with a visit to La Fortaleza. Originally built as a defensive fortress, it was quickly replaced with the Castillo San Felipe del Morro as the primary defense of the city. We learned that La Fortaleza was built inside the San Juan harbor and was therefore not effective as a lookout for defensive purposes. It was built in the mid 16th century but 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.

We made a short stop in the shady areas of el Parque de las Palomas, known for the hundreds of doves that flock there to be fed. For the adventurous, you can encourage the doves to land on your shoulders, your arms and even your head!

Finally, we visited la Casa Museo Felisa Rincón de Gautier. Doña Fela, as Felisa was affectionately known, was the first female mayor of San Juan, serving from 1946-1968. This museum is located in Doña Fela’s longtime house. We learned that throughout her administration, she fought for women’s rights and early childhood education. The Head Start program in the U.S. is modeled after her Escuelas Maternas childcare/preschool program. We were pleasantly surprised to discover the host of our visit, Hilda, was the daughter of Doña Fela’s long time secretary. When discussing our visit later this afternoon, students described her as “innovative” and connected to the people she serves.

We ended our day in Viejo San Juan a little early due to the heat, humidity, and lack of sleep. On our way home, we stopped by a SuperMax to pick up groceries for meals later this week. Our group is settling in and ready for a good night’s sleep tonight.