St. Augustine, Florida, claims to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the United States. It was established in 1565 by Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles of Spain. However, San Juan, Puerto Rico was settled in 1521 — 44 years before St. Augustine. St. Augustine can lay claim to being the oldest continuously inhabited city in a state, or the oldest one in the continental United States, but San Juan is the oldest city under United States jurisdiction.
The recorded history of Puerto Rico begins in 1493, when Christopher Columbus arrived and named the Island San Juan Bautista. In 1508, Ponce de Leon established a settlement in Caparra, in the municipality of Guaynabo. The archaeological site of Caparra is now a U.S. National Historic Landmark. The foundations of the original fortress remain, along with a one-room museum.
During the first decade of its existence, the settlement grew into a colonial town with several hundred Spanish settlers. The inhabitants didn’t care for the location, though. They suffered attacks from the original population of the area and were separated from the docks by impenetrable mangrove forests. Spain sent an envoy to look into their complaints, and over the objections of Ponce de León, the King of Spain ordered that the city should be moved. In 1521, the Spanish settlement was moved to the current location, San Juan.
Strategic importance
It soon became clear that San Juan was a strategically important location for the increasing international seafaring connections that were growing in importance. Pirates saw its advantages, too, and Spain responded by building military fortifications like El Morro and Castillo San Cristóbal. Late in the 16th century, these fortifications held off British attempts to capture Puerto Rico. In the 1600s, the Dutch made attempts to capture San Juan, burning the city before their retreat. The protective walls were built around the city in the century that followed, and British incursions were again rebuffed.
As trade between Europe and the Americas burgeoned, the city developed as a port. With ships from Europe, Africa, and the Americas relying on its port, the city became a significant commercial hub. It had a university, a library, and a hospital. It was also an ecclesiastical center. Altogether, San Juan was among the most important cities in the New World.
By 1898, the year of the Spanish-American War, the United States recognized the strategic value of San Juan. Assistant Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt wrote to Senator Henry Cabot Lodge saying, “Do not make peace until we get Porto Rico.”
After Spain ceded Puerto Rico to the United States, the U.S. established military bases there.
Roosevelt visits San Juan
In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt visited San Juan. “I could not embark at San Juan because the harbor has not been dredged out and cannot receive an American battleship. I do not think this fact creditable to us as a nation, and I earnestly hope that immediate provision will be made for dredging San Juan harbor. I doubt whether our people as a whole realize the beauty and fertility of Porto Rico,” Roosevelt said in a speech.
“There is a matter to which I wish to call your special attention, and that is the desirability of conferring full American citizenship upon the people of Porto Rico. I most earnestly hope that this will be done. I cannot see how any harm can possibly result from it, and it seems to me a matter of right and justice to the people of Porto Rico. They are loyal, they are glad to be under our flag, they are making rapid progress along the path of orderly liberty. Surely we should show our appreciation of them, our pride in what they have done, and our pleasure in extending recognition for what has thus been done, by granting them full American citizenship.”
Puerto Ricans were not granted U.S. citizenship for another 11 years, when Congress passed the Jones-Shafroth Act.
San Juan today
San Juan today is the home of about half the population of Puerto Rico. It’s also the home of half the economic activity of the Island. San Juan is the major port and the cultural epicenter of Puerto Rico. The rich past of the city makes it an important information center for history, with architecture and other visual arts that amount to a living museum of style over the past 500 years. San Juan’s fortifications are one of the best and last examples of 17th century Spanish colonial building methods, providing an unmatched display of the evolution of the military engineering of the period.
Old San Juan is a World Heritage Site and a National Historic Site. It is a prime tourist destination as well as the industrial heart of the U.S. territory. Over five centuries, the capital of Puerto Rico has retained its natural beauty while growing into an important business and cultural center.
