Visit the Mighty Fort of El Morro

Guarding the entrance to San Juan Bay, Castillo San Felipe del Morro—known as El Morro—is Puerto Rico’s most iconic fortification. The six-level fortress occupies a 140-foot-high promontory and was designed to unleash devastating artillery fire on approaching ships. Construction began in 1539 and, by its completion around 1790, El Morro was considered unconquerable. Italian engineers Bautista and Juan Bautista Antonelli transformed the original medieval tower into thick-walled bastions capable of withstanding cannon fire. Over the centuries, the fort repelled attacks by the English and Dutch before being modernized for the Spanish–American War. Today, visitors can wander through dungeons, barracks and ramparts while imagining centuries of maritime battles.