The Botanical Garden in San Juan is also called the Botanical Garden of the University of Puerto Rico. It is an educational center for scientific research and a place for excellent rest and relaxation. Its territory, with an area of 121 hectares, serves for the study and preservation of more than 30 thousand local and exotic plants, trees, and flowers.
The botanical garden is located in the center of the capital of Puerto Rico, the city of San Juan, in the northeast of the island. The idea of creating such a place was voiced back in 1959, but only on March 10, 1971, the garden was officially opened. In 1991, the first visitors were able to enjoy the beauty of its botanical collections, lakes, waterfalls, cozy roads and sidewalks, allowing a better appreciation of native and tropical flora. The territory is divided into two parts - northern and southern, the latter contains most of the attractions. In the south you can see a garden of heliconias, orchids, palm trees, and a herbarium.
Entrance to the botanical garden is free from six in the morning to six in the evening.
Book Museum
The Museum of the Book in San Juan is dedicated to the history of the book, where you can see the most valuable printed copies in all of Puerto Rico.
The Museum of the Book is located in Old San Juan, in the northern part of Puerto Rico. Today it presents many rare editions of books, medieval manuscripts written on parchment, and manuscripts dating from the 12th-17th centuries. The most valuable are two documents signed by the Catholic monarchs in 1493, which are considered the oldest in all of America. From the end of October 2013, they plan to open a new exhibition dedicated to the 55th anniversary of the founding of the House of Books.
Its history begins in 1955, when a group of townspeople founded the Friends of Calla del Cristo community, one of the goals of which was to create a specialized library of the best printed publications throughout the centuries. The best specialist in this field, Elmer Adler, was hired to organize the library. Under his leadership, books were purchased with public and private funds, and after a while the dream of this community became a reality.
The Book House is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 11.00 to 16.30. Free admission.
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Market Square
The market square is located in Puerto Rico, the city of San Juan. More precisely, in its old part. The square has existed for almost a century. On its territory there are markets, shops, and museums. Festivals are also held here periodically.
The markets sell fresh farm produce, herbs, bread, delicacies and much more. There are also cozy restaurants and cafes on the square, where it is especially interesting to sit in the evening. They are surrounded by beautiful architectural buildings. Near the central building there are large sculptures in the shape of an avocado. In this square you can fully experience the life and traditions of the city. Local stalls sell handicrafts of extraordinary beauty and you can even chat with the locals.
The Church of Christ the Redeemer, or Chapel of Christ, was built at the end of the 18th century, on top of one of the city's defensive walls. It is one of the most beautiful and fascinating attractions of Old San Juan, and today it is more than 250 years old.
The Church of Christ the Redeemer is located at the southern end of Calle del Cristo, near the Cathedral of San Juan Bautista, in the western part of San Juan. Legend has it that the temple on this site was built for a reason. In 1753, a young man took part in a race, but lost control of his horse, and it rushed into the abyss. The city secretary, Don Mateo Prats, asked Christ to have mercy on the guy’s life, and his prayer was answered. The young man, to express his gratitude, began building this chapel that same year. The Cathedral of Christ the Redeemer in Old San Juan is a building with an amazing history and is a must see when traveling through San Juan.
Church of San Jose
Church of San Jose, built in Old San Juan in 1532, is the second oldest church in all of America. This temple is one of the few surviving examples of 16th-century Spanish Gothic architecture in the Western Hemisphere.
The Church of San Jose is located in the historic city of San Juan, in northern Puerto Rico. The land on which the temple was built was donated by Governor Don Juan Ponce de Leon, who was the first to be buried here. First, the Dominican Order built the monastery of St. Thomas Aquinas on it, then it was renamed by the Jesuits who settled here in 1865. The first governor of Puerto Rico, Juan Ponce de Leon, was buried in the temple crypt in 1559, but in 1836 his remains were transferred to the Cathedral of San Juan Bautista. Under the floor of the Church of San José there is still a crypt where the grandson of Juan Ponce de Leon is buried, as well as the famous artist José Campeche. The San Jose Temple is not in the best condition today; it has been closed for 13 years.
Cemetery of Mary Magdalene
The cemetery of Mary Magdalene in the city of San Juan received its name in honor of Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi. It is the burial place of many famous natives of the city and its residents. It began to be built in 1863 with the support of Ignacio Mascaro.
The cemetery is located in the historic city of Old San Juan, in northern Puerto Rico. It is located outside the walls of the citadel of San Felipe del Morro, the city's most famous landmark. The average height of the walls is 12 meters, and the width is from four and a half to six meters. Many prominent personalities are buried in the cemetery in San Juan - Jose Ferrer, the first Latin American actor to win an Oscar, Pedro Salinas, a Spanish poet, Rafael Hernandez Marin, a famous musician, Jose de Acosta, a famous historian. The cemetery was built near the Atlantic Ocean as a symbol of the spiritual journey after death.
Grand Turk
The Old City is a place of shopping streets - everything is here: gold, diamonds, clothes, souvenir shops. There were a lot of tourists here. But there were places where it was quiet and deserted.
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Cathedral of San Juan Bautista
The Cathedral of San Juan Bautista is a Roman Catholic church in San Juan, the oldest building in the entire city and the second oldest church in all of America, after the Cathedral of Santa Maria la Menor in the Dominican Republic. It is the residence of the Archbishop of San Juan.
The cathedral is located in the western part of the city of San Juan, on Calle del Cristo, in northern Puerto Rico. The first original wooden church building, built in 1521, was destroyed by a hurricane, so a new cathedral was built in its place in 1540. In subsequent centuries, it was updated and restructured several times, most recently in 1917. The cathedral houses the tomb of the great Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de Leon, who founded the first European settlement in Puerto Rico. It also houses the relics of the Most Holy Carlos Manuel Rodriguez Santiago, the first Puerto Rican to be beatified by Pope John Paul II. Particularly noteworthy in the cathedral are relics such as the jewelry and clothing of John Paul II, which he wore during his visit to Puerto Rico in 1984.
The most popular attractions in San Juan with descriptions and photographs for every taste. Choose the best places to visit famous places in San Juan on our website.
More attractions of San Juan
Puerto Rico is considered almost the 51st state of America, i.e. is under the control of the United States, but is not an integral part of it (the validity of the US Constitution on the territory is limited, the supreme power belongs to the US Congress, but the territory has its own system of self-government).
In short, American visas (or, as we have, ESTA permits) had to be shown before visiting this state. Because of this, before disembarking, a huge queue lined up along the entire length of the boardwalk of our Independence.
Coming ashore, we were greeted by very good weather. My friends and I decided to visit a real tropical forest, which is located an hour’s drive from the capital in the El-Yunque National Park. As the guide promised, a real tropical jungle with waterfalls awaited us.
We immediately formed our mini-group at the port. This is what always usually happens - while we are finding out the prices and proposed routes, several people from the ship themselves come up to us and ask where we are going and if they can come with us. We are always happy to share our journey with the district residents.
We rented a minibus for 8 people, the price was slightly reduced - at first it was offered at $50, but we agreed on $45 per person. After the forest, they also promised to take us around the city, take us to the beach and show us Old San Juan.
On the way to the reserve we drove through the capital. San Juan is a city of contrasts, there are high-rise buildings, and there are also not very brilliant, to put it mildly, neighborhoods.
After some time we found ourselves in the rain forest of El Yunque National Park. Mount El Yunque, where the reserve itself is located, rises 575m above sea level. Of course, here you can get acquainted with all the variety of extraordinary Caribbean plants. There are even thousand-year-old trees and exotic plants. The bus climbed a steep road, surrounded on all sides by centuries-old tropical plants. The guide told us in detail what the tree is called.
There were several stops during the tour. The first stop introduced us to one of the many waterfalls in this park. Not Iguassu, of course, but still quite interesting to see the local sights.
You can find small waterfalls everywhere in the park, so it’s very pleasant to be in the forest, cool and fresh from them. But there is also frequent rain, so it is recommended to take something with you to cover yourself. We were lucky, not a drop fell!
Nature appears here in its original form - lush vegetation all around. A good setting for any film about the ancient world, about dinosaurs. By the way, no poisonous reptiles are found in these tropical forests.
Next we climbed Yokahu Observation Tower, which offers a breathtaking view of the entire surrounding forest and even the coast can be seen in the distance.
It was such an easy, pleasant walk through the tropical forest; it was quite interesting to be among centuries-old trees and plants, and to visit local waterfalls.
After the jungle we headed back towards the city and stopped at one of the beaches to look at the powerful waves of the Atlantic Ocean.
We admired the ocean for a bit and continued our sightseeing tour of San Juan. We didn’t get off the bus because we had already walked through the tropical forest and just wanted to follow the pictures from the window. We saw the Capitol (Capitolio de Puerto Rico) - the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, where the Senate and House of Representatives are located.
Fort San Felipe del Morro (Castillo San Felipe del Morro), named after the Spanish king Philip II (Felipe II; 1527-1598), is a powerful fortified fortress located on the northwestern tip of the island.
The Telurico Totem, a giant column of black granite and ceramics by Puerto Rican artist Jaime Suárez, was erected in 1992 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Columbus's discovery of the New World.
After the end of the excursion, as per tradition, we went onto the ship to have lunch and then went out for another 1.5 hours to stroll through the streets of San Juan before sailing. A cute town with ancient architecture. Merchants are not asleep - they offer souvenirs right on the road, not far from the liners. We just wandered along the streets and took in the atmosphere, so to speak. We accidentally wandered into an interesting salon of fashionable designer clothes. We met the owner, a very nice girl.
Those who do not like to travel on foot can choose another method of transportation, for example, by horse-drawn carriage or mini-train.
And we're back on board, thanks for the ride! Nice island, interesting.
Perhaps romance is an integral part of any trip. And what could be more romantic than the Caribbean Sea with its pirate glory and tropical beauty? It is in the middle of the Caribbean waters that the island with the colorful name “rich port” - Puerto Rico - has been resting for a hundred years now, and its capital - San Juan - attracts a continuous flow of tourists from all over the world from year to year.
What is so good about San Juan? For the inquisitive traveler - everything: natural resources; grandiose, albeit dilapidated, structures - forts, bridges, monasteries, etc.; vibrant folk festivals and traditional holidays; a unique collection of ancient universities and other wonders. For those who simply want to relax in some new place on the globe, besides, perhaps, the boring Turkey or Egypt, excellent conditions have been created in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean: sandy cultural beaches, truly luxurious hotels, first-class restaurants and vibrant nightlife. And wouldn’t a potential tourist be intrigued by the very history of the emergence of San Juan, which appeared on the world map at the beginning of the 16th century and remains to this day the most ancient settlement of the New World on American territory, created by immigrants from Europe... Today, when you arrive here, you will immediately see something that is usually noted in tourist guides: the port of this city is one of the grandest and busiest by world standards - be it container traffic or cruise ships. It is curious that, numbering about 400 thousand... read more
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Weather in San Juan by months:
| Month | Temperature | Cloudiness | Rainy days / Precipitation |
Water temperature in the sea |
Number of solar hours per day |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| During the day | At night | |||||
| January | 27.3°C | 23.4°C | 41.8% | 3 days (1770.4 mm.) | 26.7°C | 11 o'clock 10m. |
| February | 27.2°C | 23.2°C | 47.8% | 2 days (39.5 mm.) | 26.3°C | 11 o'clock 33m. |
| March | 27.5°C | 23.3°C | 40.1% | 2 days (33.8 mm.) | 26.3°C | 12h. 3m. |
| April | 28.2°C | 24.1°C | 41.6% | 3 days (42.6 mm.) | 26.6°C | 12h. 34m. |
| May | 28.9°C | 25.0°C | 40.8% | 3 days (57.9 mm.) | 27.1°C | 13:00 0m. |
| June | 30.5°C | 25.8°C | 35.1% | 2 days (29.2 mm.) | 27.8°C | 13:00 13m. |
| July | 30.9°C | 26.0°C | 39.0% | 3 days (40.8 mm.) | 28.1°C | 13:00 7m. |
| August | 30.8°C | 25.9°C | 41.0% | 4 days (79.6 mm.) | 28.7°C | 12h. 44m. |
| September | 30.7°C | 26.1°C | 39.3% | 4 days (91.3 mm.) | 29.1°C | 12h. 14m. |
| October | 30.3°C | 25.9°C | 40.0% | 6 days (74.2 mm.) | 29.1°C | 11 o'clock 43m. |
| November | 29.1°C | 25.0°C | 48.4% | 6 days (83.6 mm.) | 28.6°C | 11 o'clock 16m. |
| December | 28.0°C | 24.0°C | 48.7% | 3 days (43.9 mm.) | 27.7°C | 11 o'clock 3m. |
*This table displays weather averages collected over more than three years
HOLIDAY PRICES:
Prices for holidays in San Juan. July 2014.
tour cost
We bought a package (flight + hotel) on the Expedia website from America. We chose a tour for 7 days. Two couples were flying, one with a child. We were accommodated in different hotels, so the price of the packages was different. Their flight to New York and accommodation at the Marriott hotel for friends with a child (under 5 years old) cost 2.5 thousand dollars (the child’s plane ticket is full price, hotel accommodation is free). The second tour for two and the Acacia Boutique hotel cost $1,600. We flew to San Juan, so the beach area with hotels in the city was not far from the airport. !0-15 minutes by taxi cost us 30 dollars for everyone.
There are few excursions in San Juan, they offer trips to Old San Juan for $30, islands by boat from $30 to $60, and a tropical forest for the whole day from $40 to $70. We went to San Juan twice on our own. The first time in the evening by taxi ($20), the second time for the whole day - by regular bus (75 cents)
Food and products
Restaurants here are of different levels, the average price of dinner (full, with drinks and snacks, hot food and coffee) is up to $30. You can have a snack in regular fast foods, pizzerias, and small local cafes from 8 to 11 dollars per lunch. Coffee and light breakfast in a cafe or store (good coffee machines, hot pastries and sandwiches) from 3 to 5 dollars. All products, cigarettes, coffee, wine, fruits are cheaper in Puerto Rico than in the USA.
Cost of services and entertainment
There are many casinos in Puerto Rico. In the evenings, a lot of people gather in good hotels. Most people spend time playing slot machines, where you can place bets starting from 1 cent. By the way, the machines are fairly honest and have a good winning percentage.
Total money spent on vacation
Helpful information?
HOLIDAY REPORTS:
Natalia
Impressions from a holiday in September
Living in the USA, a group of friends and I decided to fly to San Juan, Puerto Rico, to relax. People who live in the USA for vacation choose the islands that are located in the south of South America. One of the overseas possessions that belong to this country is Puerto Rico. It was interesting to fly to a very green island and a wonderful first-class seaside resort. A very good option to go on such a holiday is best at the end of September, when, although it is hot, it is not as hot as in the summer. Puerto Rico is a small island with lots of sun, beautiful beaches, lots of green plants and beautiful palm trees. Of course, the best option for relaxation would be the resort town of San Juan. I can’t say that this is a cheap town, but it would be best to immediately book hotel rooms and travel by transport from these hotels. Or rent a vehicle for your company.
Youth recreation
I think that traveling to this region with a group will be much more interesting than traveling alone or with children. Walk around the green city, spend time on the beaches, and there is also the opportunity to save money in various establishments.
Family holiday
There is no better option than spending a romantic holiday for two at such a resort, but you need to spend a lot on it.
What to take with you on vacation?
In Puerto Rico, the most important thing you need to take is more money, and then: 1) a camera; 2) a backpack for the trip, swimming trunks and a mask with a snorkel and fins, sports shoes; 3) glasses and a mini-fridge bag for water.
Where is the best place to stay?
The best option for accommodation would be the areas of “Las Marías”, “Ocean Park”, “Biascoechea”, where there are the most different hotels for relaxation. Some of the good and inexpensive hotels are “Coqui del Mar Guest House”, “Tres Palmas Inn”, “Isla verde guest house”, where you can relax with company. There are large swimming pools on the hotel premises, since most of the beaches in the city are rocky and this makes it possible not to walk far.
What to do at the resort?
Very beautiful and colorful San Juan amazes with its flowers, green palm trees, clear blue sky and turquoise color of the Caribbean Sea. San Juan is considered the most respectable resort in the Caribbean and its main rival is the city of Miami. The city has a Spanish flavor with different names in this language. The city looks very clean and well maintained with beautiful colorful houses. In the city there is an opportunity to attend some kind of holiday, as there are many of them. Lots of free shows. You can go to the rainforest outside the city, but it is better to take a guide. Be sure to visit the Arecibo Observatory, which is very large and beautiful.
Due to the fact that the beaches are rocky, it is not easy to get to a normal beach. And if you get there, you will see a lot of algae on the shore. This is a big minus for the resort.
The most popular food in Puerto Rico is called Mofongo. This is a side dish made from the plantain variety of bananas with different types of meat. If you want, you can order it with seafood or just chicken. At folk festivals you can try the Pinocolada cocktail, which was invented in Puerto Rico and is not expensive.
Is it worth vacationing in San Juan?
Nice city, nice people and everything is very beautiful and expensive. Therefore, you can only relax if you take a lot of money.
Serafina Beach Hotel is located in San Juan, 6 km from Fort San Felipe del Morro. This hotel features a terrace and is close to Condado Lagoon and the Museum of Contemporary Art. Let's start from the beginning: we were greeted very friendly and checked in quickly. The view from the room is cool (everything matches the photo :)). the room is clean. it was quiet and calm (which is what I wanted). I liked that they provide free water. The breakfasts are delicious, filling and the portions are simply huge. I didn’t manage to swim on the beach and I don’t think it’s impossible because of the rocks nearby (the waves hit them hard), but you can safely swim in the pool. Special thanks to the staff for their friendliness and willingness to always help.
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Average price/night: RUB 15,488.
9.1 Excellent 189 reviews
San Juan
Hyatt House San Juan is located just 5 minutes' drive from historic San Juan and Condado Beach. It features free Wi-Fi, an outdoor swimming pool and a restaurant. Great place to stay just a few minutes of bus/taxi ride to the Old San Juan. Very clean and great staff, giving good service and make the stay fantastic. Really great breakfast.
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Average price/night: RUB 9,856.
9.0 Excellent 885 reviews
Ocean Park, San Juan
Dream Inn PR is a 5-minute walk from Barbosa Park and Ocean Park Beach. It features a swimming pool and a beautiful indoor fountain. Extremely friendly and helpful staff, lovely place to stay! Breakfast is in the form of vouchers for the nearby (and famous) Kasalta Bakery. Also it's very close to a Walgreens and there are many restaurants and bars nearby.
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Average price/night: RUB 9,409.
9.2 Excellent 118 reviews
Hotel in Condado, San Juan
AC Hotel by Marriott San Juan Condado is located in the Condado district of San Juan, 6 km from Fort San Felipe del Morro. It features a year-round outdoor pool, spa and restaurant. Probably the prettiest hotel we’ve ever stayed at! Everything was excellent. The pool area was beautiful and clean. Our room was absolutely perfect! Everything is so modern and beautiful.
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Average price/night: RUB 9,655.
9.1 Excellent 510 reviews
Featuring local art and a cozy terrace, Hotel Old San Juan is located less than 3 km from Castillo de San Cristobal. The hotel also has a bar fridge. Location of the property is amazing, right in the center of old San Juan. The hotel is artistic and very nicely decorated, small and well managed. staff is very friendly and helpful. The room we stayed in was very romantic and spacious, it has windows but they are facing the courtyard so u can"t really open them, so it"s dark, it that gives the mood and at the end u re not there all day . there is a beautiful terrace on top of the building so u can go and enjoy ur drink with the view.
San Juan (Spanish: San Juan Bautista, John the Baptist) is the capital and largest administrative center in Puerto Rico. As of the 2000 census, it has a population of 433,373, making it the 42nd largest city administered by the United States. San Juan was founded by Spanish colonists in 1521, who named it Ciudad de Puerto Rico (City of Puerto Rico). It is not only the oldest city in Puerto Rico, but also the oldest European-founded city in the United States, even older than St. Augustine, Florida. The capital of Puerto Rico is almost the oldest city (2nd place after Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic) of European colonists in the Americas. San Juan is home to several historic structures; the most notable include Fort San Felipe del Morro and Fort San Cristobál, as well as La Fortaleza - the largest continuously used in the Americas executive mansion.
Today, San Juan is one of the most important ports, industrial, financial, cultural and tourist centers of Puerto Rico. Population of the metropolitan area, including San Juan and the municipalities of Bayamón, Guaynabo, Cataño, Canóvanas, Caguas, Toa Alta Alta), Toa Baja (Spanish: Toa Baja), Carolina (Spanish: Carolina) and Trujillo Alto (Spanish: Trujillo Alto), has about 2 million inhabitants - about half of Puerto Rico's population lives and works in this area. The city has hosted many important sporting events, including the 1979 Pan American Games, 1966 Central American and Caribbean Games, World Baseball Classic and 2006 Caribbean Series.
Pre-Columbian period
The history of Puerto Rico in the period preceding the arrival of Christopher Columbus on this land has not been fully studied. Everything that is known about it comes from archaeological excavations and oral histories of the first Spanish travelers. The first book to comprehensively describe the history of Puerto Rico was written by Fray Iñigo Abbad y Lasierra in 1786, 293 years after the Spanish first visited the island.
The first settlers of Puerto Rico were the Ortoiroids, representatives of an ancient culture. Excavations carried out in 1990 found the remains of primitive man, whose age dates back to approximately 2000 BC (4000 years ago). The remains were named “Puerto Ferro man”. Between 120 and 400 AD, representatives of the Igneri Indian tribe from the Orinoco River region in South America arrived on the island. Between the 7th and 11th centuries, the island began to be inhabited by Arawakan tribes who founded the Taino culture, and by about 1000 AD, this culture began to dominate the island, until the arrival of Columbus in 1493.
Spanish colonial period
When Christopher Columbus landed on the island on November 19, 1493, during his second voyage to the shores of America, the island was inhabited by Indians who called themselves Taino. The Taino called the island "Boriken" (Spanish: Borikén), which was later interpreted by the Spaniards as "Borinquen" (Spanish: Borinquen). The Spanish originally named the island San Juan Bautista in honor of St. John the Baptist, but the island was eventually named Puerto Rico, which means "rich port." The colonization of the island by the Spaniards began in 1508, when Juan Ponce de León (Spanish: Juan Ponce de León) arrived from Santo Domingo (the island of Haiti) with a detachment of conquistadors, who founded the city of Caparra. The administrative center of the island eventually became the port of Puerto Rico, which was moved to a new location in 1521. The name San Juan passed on to the capital of the territory and to the small island of "Old San Juan", now part of the capital. In 1508, the Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León became the first governor of the island. There is a geographical curiosity associated with the name of the state and its capital. The island was originally named San Juan, in the tradition of the Spanish colonialists, after a Christian saint. The capital, accordingly, received the name Puerto Rico (Rich Port), but subsequently cartographers “confused” the names.
The island was soon colonized by the Spaniards. African slaves were brought to the island as free labor to replace the rapidly declining Indian population forced to work for the Spanish crown. Eventually, the Tainos died out completely as a result of the diseases brought by the Spaniards and Africans, as well as the harsh living conditions in which they found themselves. Puerto Rico quickly became an important fortress and port of the Spanish Empire in the Caribbean. However, at the end of the 17th-18th centuries, the center of colonization was still the more prosperous territories of the mainland, and not the island, which was impoverished due to population decline. To protect against the threat from Spain's European enemies, various forts and fortresses gradually arose on the island, such as La Fortaleza, Fuerte San Felipe del Morro and San Cristobal. San Cristóbal). The French, Dutch and British made repeated attempts to capture Puerto Rico, but failed in their attempts to occupy the island for a long time.
In 1809, as Napoleon I's troops occupied most of the Iberian Peninsula and the First Spanish Revolution was in full swing, an assembly of populists from the Spanish city of Cadiz declared Puerto Rico an overseas province of Spain with the right of representation at the Spanish court. The first representative of the island in the Cadiz Cortes, Ramón Power y Giralt (Spanish: Ramón Power y Giralt) died shortly after arriving in Spain. With the adoption of the Cadiz Constitution in 1812, when Spanish territories were divided into provinces, Puerto Ricans were granted conditional citizenship.
On August 10, 1815, Spain issued a royal decree encouraging Spaniards and other non-Spanish Europeans loyal to the Spanish Crown and the Roman Catholic Church to settle on the island, opening the door for Puerto Rico to trade with other countries. This was the beginning of the growth of the island's agricultural economy, with sugar, tobacco and coffee becoming the main export products. The island began to be settled by immigrants from Germany, Corsica, Ireland, France, Portugal and the Canary Islands, fleeing severe economic turmoil in Europe and attracted by the possibility of free entry to the island. However, these small concessions and rights were soon canceled. After the overthrow of Napoleon I, an absolute monarchy returned to Spain, which abolished the Cadiz Constitution and returned Puerto Rico to the status of a colony, a symbol of the unlimited power of the Spanish monarchy.
On June 25, 1835, the wife of the Spanish king Ferdinand VII, Maria Cristina, being at that moment the regent of Spain (1833-1840), abolished the slave trade in the Spanish colonies. In 1851, the island's governor, Juan de la Pezuela Cevallos, founded the Royal Academy of Fine Arts on the island, which educated school teachers, developed teaching methods, and organized literary competitions that contributed to the intellectual and literary development of the island. In 1858, Samuel Morse installed the first telegraph apparatus on the island in the city of Arroyo (Spanish: Arroyo).
Life in Puerto Rico in the second half of the 19th century took place against the backdrop of a struggle for autonomy. The 1860 census showed the island's population to be 583,308. Of these, 300,406 (51.5%) were white, the rest belonged to other races. Of these, the vast majority (83.7%) belonged to the poor. The island's agricultural development was hampered by a lack of roads, primitive tools, and natural disasters such as hurricanes and drought. The economy also suffered from high tariffs and taxes imposed by the Spanish royalty. On September 23, 1868, an independence uprising known as "El Grito de Lares" broke out in the city of Lares (Spanish: Lares), which was quickly suppressed. The leaders of this uprising, Ramón Emeterio Betances (Spanish: Ramón Emeterio Betances) and Segundo Ruiz Belvis (Spanish: Segundo Ruiz Belvis) are considered the fathers of the Puerto Rican nation in modern Puerto Rico. Later, a political movement for independence arose under the leadership of Roman Baldorioty de Castro (Spanish: Román Baldorioty de Castro), and at the end of the century, a movement led by Luis Muñoz Rivera (Spanish: Luis Muñoz Rivera). In 1897, Muñoz Rivera and his associates spoke to the liberal Spanish government for autonomy for Cuba and Puerto Rico. The following year, 1898, an autonomous government was declared for a short period. The Charter of Autonomy was responsible to the island's governor, appointed by Spain. The governor had the right to annul any decision of the local government and participated in parliamentary elections.
American rule period
On July 25, 1898, during the Spanish-American War, American troops invaded Puerto Rico, landing in the municipality of Guánica. As a result of the war, Spain was forced to cede Puerto Rico, as well as Cuba, the Philippines and the island of Guam under the Treaty of Paris in 1898. Puerto Rico entered the 20th century under the military rule of the United States, including a governor appointed by the President of the United States. In 1917, under the Jones-Shafroth Act, residents of Puerto Rico were granted US citizenship, a status that is still valid today. Since World War I, many Puerto Ricans have served in the US military. Natural disasters and the Great Depression made life on the island worse. Some politicians, such as the leader of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party Pedro Albizu Campos (Spanish Pedro Albizu Campos), advocated granting independence to the island. He was subsequently arrested twice and imprisoned for subversive activities against the American administration on the island. Puerto Rico's first democratically elected governor, Luis Muñoz Marín, also initially favored the territory's independence, but, observing a serious economic decline accompanied by rising crime and popular discontent, chose the status of an associated territory as an intermediate stage on the path to independence.
During the Roosevelt-Truman administrations, the nature of the territory's internal governance changed as a result of a compromise between various political forces. The changes culminated in the appointment in 1946 of President Harry Truman of the first Puerto Rican-born governor, Jesús Toribio Piñero Jiménez. In 1947, the Americans gave Puerto Rico the right to choose its own governor. In 1948, as a result of democratic elections, Luis Munoz Marin was elected governor of Puerto Rico, who remained in this post for 16 years, until 1964.
Since that time, large numbers of immigrants from the island have moved to the mainland United States in search of a better life. If in 1945 there were about 13,000 Puerto Ricans living in New York City, then by 1955 their number was already about 700,000 people, and by the mid-1960s their number exceeded a million.
On November 1, 1950, Puerto Rican separatists Griselio Torresola and Oscar Collazo attempted to assassinate President Truman. The consequence of this incident was Truman's agreement to hold a referendum on the island on Puerto Rico's own constitution. As a result of the approved constitution on July 25, 1952, Puerto Rico received its current status as an associated territory. The island experienced rapid industrial growth in the 1950s, transforming Puerto Rico's economy from an agricultural to an industrialized one.
Since the 60s, the Puerto Rican independence movement has risen again, which even turns into an armed struggle under the leadership of Filiberto Ojeda Rios.
Currently, Puerto Rico has become a major tourist destination with a developed pharmaceutical and manufacturing structure. The political status is still not fully determined, and therefore various plebiscites have been held on the island in recent years.
Flora and fauna
According to 1998 data, the flora of Puerto Rico consisted of 239 different species of plants, 16 species of birds and 39 species of amphibians and endemic reptiles were observed in the fauna. The resident "Rico" frogs, known as "coquis" (Eleutherdactylus coqui), are a beloved symbol of the island, although their presence can only be felt by sound and few tourists can see them - the largest "coqui" is no more than 5 centimeters in length . These small creatures manage to make such loud “ko-kii” sounds (where their name comes from) that even a small colony of “croaking” frogs can deafen a person. Local residents even have their own term for this - “hell chant”. The tropical humid Caribbean National Forest, also known as El Yunque, is the primary habitat for these frogs. El Yunque is one of the few remaining tropical rainforests in the Caribbean. Forest landscapes are decorated with picturesque waterfalls. This is a real kingdom of ferns. Endangered species such as the coquis find refuge in the forests of El Yunque. Thanks to the leaves of the cicropia plant, which has grown wildly on the island. The forest contains about 225 species of trees, 100 species of ferns and about 50 species of orchids. Thanks to the huge diversity of flora, El Yunque received the status of a Biosphere Reserve under the auspices of the UN. A few hours' drive from El Yunque, there is another biosphere reserve - Guanica, which belongs to the classification of tropical dry forests. This reserve contains zoological species found only in Puerto Rico. Here you can find 750 plant species, seven of which are on the verge of extinction. The greatest value for Puerto Rico is the mangrove forests and coral reefs, which are almost untouched by poachers.
Geology
The geological structure of the island consists of volcanic and igneous rocks formed between the Cretaceous period and the Eocene era of the Paleogene period, covered with later rocks of the Oligocene era, and even later carbonates and sedimentary rocks. The oldest rocks are estimated to be approximately 190 million years old (Jurassic) and are located in the municipality of Sierra Bermeja in the southwestern part of the island. These rocks may represent parts of oceanic crust, and apparently came from the Pacific Ocean.
Puerto Rico lies on the boundary of the Caribbean and North American plates and is currently being tectonically deformed by the action of these plates. Such transformation can cause earthquakes and tsunamis, which, together with landslides, pose the greatest geological hazard on the island and the northeastern Caribbean. The last major earthquake in Puerto Rico occurred on October 11, 1918, measuring approximately 7.5 on the Richter scale. The epicenter of the earthquake was at the bottom of the sea off the coast of the municipality of Aguadilla, which caused a tsunami.
The Puerto Rico Trench, located 120 km north of the island, is the largest and deepest oceanic trench in the Atlantic Ocean. It lies on the boundary of the Caribbean and North American plates. The length of the trench is 1754 km, the width is about 97 km, and the greatest depth is 8380 m.
Culture
The national symbols of Puerto Rico are the small bird of the tanager family Spindalis portoricensis, the Thespesia flower (Thespesia grandiflora) and the cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra). The unofficial national animal is the Tiny Frog (Eleutherdactylus coqui).
Puerto Rico has quite rich cultural traditions for a small island state, including such manifestations as folklore (dances, music, songs, colorful religious processions and performances), painting, literature, theater, amateur cinema, etc.
The first written mention of a theatrical performance on the island dates back to 1644, when Bishop Damian de Haro, appointed by the Vatican, mentioned in his letter that upon his arrival from Spain he was greeted by local residents who prepared for him dancing, a bullfight and theatrical comedy.
The first printing press was brought to the island in 1806, which gave a powerful impetus to local printing and literature.
Such stars as Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez, Daddy Yankee, Wisin y Yandel, Marc Anthony come from the island. It is generally accepted that the musical style of reggaeton originated in Puerto Rico.
Representatives of Puerto Rico constantly participate in the Miss World and Miss Universe beauty contests. Puerto Ricans have won the Miss Universe competition 5 times (1970, 1985, 1993, 2001, 2006), second only to the United States in the number of nominations, and once won the Miss World competition (1975). At this competition in 2005, the representative of Puerto Rico took second place.
cotton tree
