"Puerto Rico?" I thought about it for a second, images of white beaches and warm waves instantly flashing to mind.
"Sure, I'll do it."
My editor thanked me, then explained the focus of my visit: "You will not be spending time at the beach on this trip."
What else is there? I thought to myself.
I listened on as he described some of the outdoor adventures that awaited me in Puerto Rico's interior. I took it all in with excitement, realizing that aside from my initial vision of a tropical paradise, I had no idea what to expect…
Three weeks later I was flying at night over a bright metropolis stretched along the northern coast of Puerto Rico. Stepping outside the airport in San Juan, I was met by Hector, a taxi driver sent from my hotel. He was a small old man, constantly smiling, and obviously very pleased with his job. From the moment he opened the door of the taxi until we arrived, he happily gave me the run-down on the history and politics of his island. I soon realized that I was quite uninformed, to say the least.
Hector began with Columbus’ arrival in 1493, upon which the island was named San Juan Bautista. Juan Ponce de León followed with the actual conquest in 1508, landing in a harbor which he named Puerto Rico. The city that grew from that settlement later switched names with the island and became San Juan, Puerto Rico’s capital. Disease and Spanish massacres all but eliminated the native Arawak people, who were replaced in plantations by imported slaves. Consequently, Puerto Ricans today are descendants of Spanish colonists, Native Americans, and Africans. The Spanish remained in control for almost four centuries, crushing all uprisings and defending the key outpost of San Juan from buccaneers, attracted by treasure-filled Spanish galleons. Since the Spanish-American War of 1898 Puerto Rico has remained an unincorporated U.S. territory.
As we made our way into Old San Juan, we passed the impressive capitol building. Hector explained that Puerto Rico has its own Senate, House of Representatives, and elected governor. The U.S. granted citizenship to all Puerto Ricans back in 1917, allowed them to elect their own governor starting in 1948, and today all internal affairs are fully administered under a constitution approved in 1952. Hector was clearly overwhelmed by the bright side of his island’s status, particularly citizenship. “It’s practically the 51st state,” he said.
I certainly felt fortunate to have met the most enthusiastic and patriotic driver in San Juan. Or perhaps Hector’s devotion for his island was simply characteristic of being Puerto Rican.
As we drove alongside the city wall, in the moonlight I could make out the white tips of cresting waves just beyond the shore. We then wound through the old narrow cobblestone streets until we reached Hotel El Convento, a reformed Carmelite Convent built three and a half centuries ago. But this was no typical nunnery, and we certainly were not roughing it. This architectural landmark was beautifully restored, combining both the original charm and elegance with modern, luxurious accommodations. I doubt the nuns ever slept on such soft and comfortable beds.
Well-rested and eager, we awoke the next morning to explore Old San Juan. Colonial-style buildings lined the time-faded cobblestone streets, which were brought to San Juan as ballast from Spanish galleons. The Spanish took the gold back to Spain, but kindly left cobblestones in exchange. We passed Castillo San Felipe del Morro, the most impressive of the old city’s fortifications. Meaning “Promontory,” the castle was built between 1540 and 1783 in addition to the 20-foot-thick wall that stretches down the coast of both San Juan Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Just past the red-painted San Juan Gate was La Fortaleza, the oldest governor’s mansion in the western hemisphere still in use.
As the tour was clearly too pleasant and lacking in morbidity, our next stop was San Juan’s first jail, with several stark cells left in tact. Behind the cells was a bullet-hole-ridden wall. Not quite as lovely as the elegant plazas and statues scattered throughout the old city, but certainly reinforcing of how grateful I was to be visiting San Juan in this particular century.
After just a few hours of exploration, our time in the city had passed. We all loaded into a van headed east toward the rainforest known as El Yunque. From here on out, we were outdoor adventurers.
Our outdoor guide was a young and intelligent man named Rogui. He slightly resembled Jesus, with a full beard and long hair that went part way down his back. After attending the University of California in Berkeley, he had returned to his homeland and was currently guiding all kinds of adventures in the Puerto Rican rainforests and mountains. In the course of our travels, I came to understand that he always knew something about everything, and when it came to anything Puerto Rico, he seemed to know just about everything.
The road took us right along the coast almost the entire drive; beautiful beach followed beautiful beach. As we passed through the town of Loiza, Rogui explained that one of the most important and colorful festivals in Puerto Rico is held there, St. Jaimes Carnaval. We drove past a house with dozens of brightly colored masks that looked distinctly African. The annual festival actually features these masks as well as costumes and music that trace back to the African heritage of the island, and particularly of this small town of slaves’ descendants.
Here we passed the Iglesia San Patricio, the oldest church still in use on the island, and Rogui explained that although Catholicism remains dominant, Protestant churches are on the rise. All kinds of new churches are popping up, he said. The government almost gives land away to churches (at about $1.80 per acre), so churches have a definite economic advantage and the reverends are often rolling in the dough. Construction also seemed commonplace, with new building projects in the works along the coastline. Understandably, as many of these projects were beach resorts to cater to the one million annual cruise ship passengers that come to San Juan. Yet despite the apparent perfection of the beaches or the lucrative nature of the resorts, excessive cement planting has proven a significant environmental issue on the island. But as Rogui pointed out, “Developers rule here.”
