La Princesa Promenade and Jail
Description
La Princesa Promenade and Jail in Old San Juan. The prison is an elongated building; the façade has a brick finish, a cornice, and a dome in the center. A metal fence with concrete pillars can be seen. There is a flagpole with the flag of the United States. A portion of the promenade that runs in front of the prison is visible. On the promenade, there are two carts, one of them is labeled with the phrase "Panadería de la penitenciaría de San Juan P.R." A guard is in front of one of the carts. In the background, several people can be seen.| Origin Name |
CARDC376_R
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| Relation |
Fundación Luis Muñoz Marín > Sección X, Serie 3, Colección Ángel Ramón del Corral
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| Geographical Coverage |
San Juan
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| Date |
[19--]
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| Descriptive Notes |
Title assigned by the cataloging team.
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| Descripción decolonial |
A moment along the Paseo de la Princesa, in front of the city's Cárcel de La Princesa in Old San Juan, bears a dual symbolism: historical oppression and resilience. The scene captures a smiling soldier or prison guard beside a horse-drawn cart adorned with hand-painted flowers, attended by a man in white, likely a servant or possibly a prisoner. The cart in the foreground displays a sign that reads "Panadería de la Penitenciaria de San Juan, P.R.". The guard, groom, and bakery collectively serve as a metaphor for the bare life and resilience of prisoners within the jail's walls and the wider community held captive under colonial rule. The prisoners remain unseen and detached from the panorama's cultural and political context, emphasized by the presence of the American flag atop the iconic Spanish colonial building. A distant gathering of men and women hints at Puerto Rico's citizenry. The bread vendor's cart becomes a symbol of unity and survival here, providing nourishment to prisoners, guards, and citizens alike. This subtle form of resilience, where communities, physically and socially separated by colonial regimes, come together through the act of breaking bread.
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| Historical Background | |
| Architectural Subject |
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| Decolonial Subject | |
| Rights |
English Rights. (hyperlink)
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| Editor |
Fundación Luis Muñoz Marín
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| Resource Format |
JPEG
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| Resource Type |
Image
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