History
There is no older architecture anywhere in the Americas and the old towns are quainter even than Quebec City or Montreal. The style is decidedly Hispanic, the people mostly speak Spanish among each other, there is a strong local identity, a blend of native, African, British, Spanish and American cultures. You can get here from the US without a passport, the currency is the US dollar, US law applies but distances are given in kilometers, gasoline is sold by the liter, traffic sign are Spanish, and local residents have US citizenship but no voting rights after the US took it from Spain in 1898 in one of the few US colonial acquisitions by force (Treaty of Paris). Obviously, we are talking about Puerto Rico, a place where US citizens live among more history than anywhere on the mainland.
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From fighting invading English and Dutch
Castillo San Cristobal, San Juan has gone to welcoming
the giant cruise ships in its port. (Castillo Cristobal, author) |
But the protectorate has been a stepchild ever since. It has gone bankrupt, the poverty rate is twice that of Mississippi, the significant debt relief under Obama was eaten up by calamities which struck in quick succession: Two hurricanes, an earthquake, a financial crisis, the pandemic and now a federal government that sees the island as...
READ FULL STORY and VIEW the Picture Galleries of San Juan, Ponce, Utuado
Archplan Inc. Philipsen Architects