History of Forts

1493 - Puerto Rico discovered by Columbus

1508 - Juan Ponce de Leon arrives to establish a settlement in Caparra ( Modern Day Guaynabo)

1519 - Puente del Agua ( a Wooden bridge connecting the Islet San Juan with main 

  land Puerto Rico today San Antono Bridge) built

1521 - Fort move completed to Islet of Puerto Rico ( Modern Day- San Juan) the   

           Island was called San Juan Bautista -later the names were swapped reflective of today

1521 - Casa Blanca was started used as fort and hospital - Ponce deLeon Family

1521- Leaving the island was prohibited*

1528 - French Pirate attacked and sacked San Juan

1533 - Construction of La Fortaleza began called Santa Catalina to protect the bay 

1539 - Construction of the fort Castle San Felipe del Morro began

    El Morro means the Headland -the Fort is San Felipe

    Water Battery and Tower built 

1540 - Fortress Santa Catalina completed later to be come governor Mansion

1582- San Juan becomes a presidio -

 military camp under Capt Gen Diego Menendez de Valdes reforms to fortification

New structure between water battery and tower  and a trench built on the land side of El Morro closing off El Morro ( Headlands) Santa Elena Bastion construction begins

1585 - Bautista Antonelli commissioned to improve military plans - add protection to the east bay - 

Fuerte del Bogueron -wooden fort at San Geronimo location

By this time a small wood fort was built at the end of Puente del Agua

1587 - Additional Work on el Morro the Tower was replaced and the Horns replace

 the trench area - a revillen was built in front of the horns -

1595 - Dry Moat completed in from of Horns giving Fort it current form Castillo San 

Felipe del Morro

1595 - Drake and John Hawkin Attack  November 22-23 - attacked  exposed weakiness

1597 - San Antonio Bastion construction begun 

1598 - Sir George Clifford Attack -Earl of Cumberland - Jun 16 to August 27

Attacked by land from the east in destroyed Fortin Borguron

Sacked the city and Govenor ceded El Morro to the English  brought Puerto Rico under English rule for approximately 2 Months Illness ( dysentery ) caused the evacuation of the Brits while awaiting ransom

1599 - Bartracks at El Morro were built and a wooden fort at Isla De Carbra

Fortin San Juan de La Cruz or El Canuelo controls mouth 

1601-1609 El Morro reinforce Boqueron Battery built 

now Fort San Gerónimo del Boquerón

1608-1610 Fort built and Puente del Agua of stone and a stone bridge - Fort San 

Antonio and Puente San Antonio

1625 - Dutch attack -Boudewijn Hendricks

21 day siege

Took El Canuelo cutting off supplies to San Juan

Left because of illness and lack of supplies

Burned San Juan to the Ground- after taking the city’s wealth

Destroyed El Canuelo

1630 - Gov Enrique Enriquez de Sotomayor began construction of city wall lead by Juan Bautista Antonelli son of Bautista Antonelli - San Fernando battery over cliff of El morro built walls added to the San Augustine  Battery continues to La Conception Battery, Las Palmas de San Jose Battery, San Justo Battery, San Pedro Martir and Santiago Bastion begun

1634- A redoubt  built known as  San 

Cristobal started  - Garita del Diablo (Devil's Sentry Box) built -

Some reference say 1650’s

https://www.geoisla.com/2019/02/la-leyenda-de-la-garita-del-diablo/

1634 - Construction of City walls begins Defense of the First Order

20ft thick as some points

1646 - El Canuelo is rebuilt in stone and Fort San Geronimo was reinforced

1655 - Improvement plan on El Morro new walls were added and the draw bridge 

1660’s- Fortin La Perla constructed

1765 - Alejandro O’Rielly - Adjutant General to King of Spain

Redesign and re enforce the Castles

Tomas O’daly over 25 years redesigns and modernizes the Forts

1783 - San Cristobal completed as we see main courtyard today

1790 - El Morro completed as we see main courtyard today

Completion of the North Walls to encircle the city

1797- British Attack of San Juan

Sir Ralph Abercrombie and Sir Henry Harvey

Attack via land Pinones

1897- Southern city wall destroyed by Spanish Govt to make way for modern traffic

1898- US attack in Spanish American War May 12

1898 - Miles enters PR from Guanica -July 

1898 - Treaty of Paris -end of Spanish American War

Spain cedes PR,Guam and the Philippines to US

Fort Brooke established at El Morro

1949 - El Morro and San Cristobal transferred from army to Dept of Interior NPS

1963 - 

1983- UNESCO World Heritage Site Castles and La Fortaleza

Red - still being reviewed for accuracy

Walls of San Juan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXIXl21Lg1I