They chose to build the new fortress on the high ground at the northeast side of city.īetween the years of 1765 to 1783, the major construction occurred resulting in the fort as we see it today. A basic, small defense was constructed starting in 1634 after a land attack in 1625 from the Dutch exposed weaknesses in Old San Juan’s defenses. A Short Historyīeing younger, Fort San Cristobal has a shorter story than El Morro. It is a huge fort (the larger of the two) covering 27 acres, with some of this acreage now accessible to the public. Of the 2 forts in Old San Juan, Fort San Cristobal is the youngster – it is only about 230 years old. It stands where the eastern gate to the walled city of Old San Juan was located back in the 1800’s, when the wall completely surrounded the city. Whereas Fort San Filipe del Morro ( El Morro) protected the city from sea attacks, Fort San Cristobal was built to protect Old San Juan from land attacks. But they don’t know what they’re missing – I think it is a definitely worth a visit! For reasons that I can’t fathom, people flock to El Morro and rarely visit Fort San Cristobal. Fort San Cristobal is often considered the other fort in Old San Juan.
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