History of Architecture in Puerto Rico Essay

Puerto anti-racketeering law was first observed by Christopher Columbus in 1493. He named the distinguish San Juan Baustista and so unmatchabler or later the plenty c totall(a)yed it Boriquen Tierra del alto senor or the Land of the Noble Lord. Juan procurer de Leon became the clownishs first regulator . Upon his arrival, he constituted a colony in Caparra until such time that Caparra had to be moved to a nearby location with a sound environment.The name Caparra was changed to Puerto anti-racketeering law which mean Rich Port because its harbor is among the best in the world (Everyculture. com, n. d. . Antilles has a series of islands closely situated together with extends more than genius molar c occasionlyntration miles from Florida all the way to Venezuela or South America. There is the Greater Antilles and the lesser Antilles and Puerto Rico together with Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Haiti form part of the Greater Antilles. Puerto Rico is the smallest island in the ea sternmost part of Greater Antilles with a roughly extraneous shape (Solboricua. com,1998). The element, design and computer architecture of a particular place is as much important as constantlyything else.It is architecture that gives meaning to the place. Good architecture is a reflection of a realms triumphs and adventures. Architecture at its best light makes the outline of the unpolished. Buildings, cathedrals and homes scream out the personality of the realm and the people . A simple architecture can turn a piece of art into a masterpiece but great architecture breathes life into whatsoeverthing thereby enabling it to achieve a harmonious immix with the society. It is evident in the countrys architecture that Puerto Rico has a substantial amount of Spanish influence during the course of time.The condensed, twisting pave can be similarly compargond with Andalusia of Spain. San Juan, otherwise known as La Ciudad Amurallada which is the capital urban center was founded i n 1521. San Juan has a classic example of Spanish architecture, it is home to carbons of reminiscent historical events. It has more than 4 hundred venerable age of history stored inside a military threshold. The landmarks of the San Felipe del Morro are considered as one of Puerto Ricos most prized treasures. After the commonwealth renovation, San Juan was turned into one of the most amazing tourist spot in the world.The city was strengthened using Spanish plans which was organized to make intersecting and perpendicular streets and plazas all over the city. Spanish architecture was brought back in the country during the American occupation. The families belonging to the elites built fortresses and castles that resemble Art Deco mental synthesiss (Everyculture. com, n. d. ). Puerto Rico has been the home of sixteenth and 19th century architecture. This country has been the home of classical, contemporary and medieval architecture. knightly architecture can be seen as well in the San Juan church building which was built in the 16th century.The El Morro Fortress is considered an international site. This is a six-level fortress that was built in 1540 and was finished in 1589. The name San Felipe del Morro was adopted in honor of King Phillip II. This building is filled with dungeons and tunnels. It is now chthonic the administration of the National Park Service. Along side the El Morro is the San Cristobal Fort. This antiquated structure provided one of the largest defensive structure in the history of America. Like the El Morro, it also contains mazes and tunnels which are built to hold out on its own if ever the others would fall.Another architectural wonder in Puerto Rico was the Plaza del Mercado which was an old market that had been revived and turned into a piece of tourist spot. The regime allocated a substantial amount of their budget in order to have-to doe with their heritage (The Puerto Rico Channel, 2009). The part of Old San Juan is the home of breathtaking tourist attractions. Every year, more and more people go to Puerto Rico earlier than any place in the Caribbean. This is the perfect place to see if people want to get a picture of the Old World. There are several plazas such as the Plaza de San Jose.In the center of it stands the statue of ponce de Leon make entirely of bronze. Plaza del Quinto Centenario has Christopher Columbus statue about forty feet make in ceramic and granite which can be interpreted to mean as a symbolism of American roots. It was the work of one of the countrys top artist, Jaime Suarez. Another interesting site would be the Plaza de Armas which has quadruple statues each over a hundred years old, symbolizing the four seasons. Plaza de Colon otherwise known as Columbus determine contains tablets made in bronze in order to remember the real aspects of his life.The Plaza de la Rogativas main attraction was the sculpture of the boost of a pious lady. This piece of art signifies an im portant event which happened in that same place in 1797. In that year, a British quite a little lead by Sir Ambercrombie sailed onto the coast of San Juan bay with the plan of attacking the city and taking control. The plan failed so they way outed in alternate plan of occlusion the port of the city in the hopes of starving the residents until they come into a station of surrender. The whole town grew desperate so the governor told the people to harbinger for divine assistance.In response, all the women in town gathered and make a procession carrying bells and torches. When the British heard the bell and saw all the lights, they thought that reinforcements came to the aid of the people so they left ( Puerto Rico, 2009). It is a marvellous thing that Puerto Rico imbibed the rich culture of Spain during its colonization but as good as it may be, the country also has its own utter(a) and uninfluenced Puerto Rican architecture. An example would be its very own Caribe Hotel. Its colors, structure and striking murals reflect its own rich culture and not Spains.The main feature of of this hotel is that it was once a part of the medieval fort that the Spanish explorers used (The Puerto Rico Channel, 2009). The beauty of this country is that it never runs out of sights that stand out during the course of time. A person can look each direction and see pieces of architecture lying all over the country such as fortresses, parks, churches and buildings. La Fortaleza was built as a defense against attacks of the Indians. This structure was the very first among the several military concentration camps that were constructed along side the San Juan Bay.The original structure underwent changes because of the passing of the time so in the late 1800s, this building was reconstructed. Puerto Rico also has its very own capital of Spain in the heart of San Juan city, it is called Alcadia. When it comes to churches, Puerto Rico has a handful. The San Juan Cathedral, the seco nd oldest cathedral in the west was built in 1521. The very first building was made of wood but it got destroyed by a hurricane two times, once in 1540 and again in 1598. The Cathedral standing today was the result of efforts to restore the structure that once was in order to preserve the its heritage.In the church lies the tomb of the countrys first ever governor Ponce de Leon. The San Jose Church was the first ever church and monastery of Saint doubting Thomas doubting Thomas which was constructed by the Dominicans in the remembrance of Saint Thomas de Aquinas and also to serve not only as a recourse but a sanctuary as well. Puerto Rico is a country blessed with museums. The Pablo Casals Museum is considered a Spanish legacy . It contains artifacts, memorabilia and library full of tapes of festivals and concerts. Casa de los Dones or the household of the Two Foyers is Puerto Ricos home of the Indians located at the streets of San Juan.It is full of archaeological exhibits. The Asilo de Beneficencia was built to help poor people. It was constructed during the 1800s . The place now offers exhibits everyday, it is called the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture. Puerto Ricos White House called the Casa Blanca was the former residence of Governor Ponce de Leon and his childrens children for over two hundred years. After the military took over, they used it as home for the commanders. The White House today holds over several rooms each designed with a different period associated with the history of the house (Puerto Rico, 2009).Many art lovers and scholars securely believe that architecture greatly contributes to the pillar of success of any nation. Puerto Rico is a classic example that architecture gives life to the nation. Through a countrys architecture, its history can be fully apprehended. somebody once said that the present can never be silent without knowing the past. In the same way, the value of Puerto Ricos thickset and rich culture can never be ful ly appreciated without the beaming architectural structures of the fortresses, cathedrals and museums.These architectural pieces holds in time all that the country went through, from the time when the island was first discovered until the Spanish colonization and the modernization. Every memory that the country holds dear are steps away from each other. victorious a look and examining the historical landmarks all over Puerto Rico enables any person to take a trip down the countrys very own memory lane. The country itself is a living memorabilia of everything that went through its nation and this fact can be greatly attributed to its architecture.