Fortín San Jerónimo del Boquerón

Folio 0021, Caja 146_R

Archivo General de Puerto Rico > Colección Particular Felisa Rincón de Gautier (CP 85) > Serie Fotografías > Tema Obras Públicas > Caja 0146

San Juan

[1946-1968?]

Title assigned by the cataloguing team. Back. Stamp: "General Archive of Puerto Rico Felisa Rincón de Gautier Collection box #146 photo #21"

The construction of the Fort of San Jerónimo was a small defensive battery built in the 17th century as a replacement for the Boquerón bastion, which suffered structural damage from the invasions of English privateers such as Francis Drake (1595) and George Clifford (1598). This building represents the militaristic legacy that it had geopolitically in the Spanish Caribbean to defend against invasions. After the US invasion in 1898 in Puerto Rico, it became an abandoned building until July 15, 1921, when a retired colonel of the US army, Virgil Baker, was leased the fort for 999 years. This contract raised controversy due to the absurdity of the time allotted in the contract and was challenged in court when the Caribe Hilton hotel opened in 1949. Its transition from being a military bastion to an exotic tourist destination for the hotel's tenants is a vivid example of the exploitation of tourism as an economic source based on the fetishization of Spanish-Caribbean otherness. Additionally, the construction of the hotel was designed to integrate the fort into its hotel space for tourists, which represents a form of privatization of public spaces, including natural resources such as beaches.

• Mascaró y de Homar, Ignacio (17?? - 1814) - Ingeniero

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Fundación Luis Muñoz Marín

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