Back in January my wife and I took a little trip to Puerto Rico and spent an afternoon in Old San Juan. We were there during one of the many festivals the city is known for so finding a vacant street like the one pictured below was rare indeed. Most every block is lined with colorful houses and lively people enjoying the sun and entertainment. Old San Juan, at least on the day we were visiting, and possibly because of the festival, had an astonishing number of police; some on motorbikes, some walking, but at least one every block.
Old San Juan is actually an island that lies along the northern coast of Puerto Rico. It is connected with the bigger land mass by three bridges. Many of the buildings date back to the 16th and 17th centuries. In 1508 Ponce de Leon sailed into San Juan Bay and set up the original settlement named Caparra. By 1509 the original village was scrapped and a new site was erected which was named Puerto Rico or “Rich Port”. By 1521 the title San Juan was birthed.
The Cemetery in the pictures is the “Cementerio De Santa Maria MgDalena DePazzis” and is located on the northern side of the island just east of El Morro. To see more of El Morro you can see my post about it here.
The Streets of Old San Juan
All taken with a Nikon D800 and Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6