Museums: San Juan

The San Juan Museum of Art and History was built in 1855 as a market and restored in 1979 as a cultural center, showcases Puerto Rico art and music, including concerts and festivals.

The Pablo Casals Museum is the Spanish master's legacy to the people of Puerto Rico. The museum collection includes manuscripts, memorabilia, photographs and a library of videotapes of Festival Casals concerts. Casals moved to Puerto Rico with his wife in the 1950s. He became the conductor of the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra and the president of the Conservatory of Music in Puerto Rico.

The Museum of the Indian ("Museo del Indio"), features exhibits on the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean region, with exhibits, ceramics and archaeological digs.

The Home for the Poor ("Asilo de Beneficencia") was built 1840s for the indigent people. Today houses the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture ("Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueño") offering exhibits galleries every day, features an impressive collection of artifacts from pre-European Puerto Rico, including pottery, stone tools and relics, and a recreation of a Taíno village.

The Old Dominican Convent ("Convento de los Dominicos") was built by Dominican friars in 1523, this building has served alternately as a convent, as a shelter against Carib Indian raids, and as the Caribbean headquarters of the U.S. Army. The convent contains a small chapel museum.

The White House (Casa Blanca") built in 1521 and lived in by Ponce de León descendants for over 250 years. In 1779 it was taken over by the Spanish military, then used later by the United States as a residence for military commanders (1898-1966). Today the mansion serves as National Historic Monument, housing a museum of 16th, 17th and 18th century history. Each room is decorated in a style associated with a period of the house's history. Casa Blanca is the oldest continuously occupied residence in the Western Hemisphere. Located on San Sebastián Street, Old San Juan, houses a ethnographic museum and Taino (native Indian) artifacts.

The Pink House ("Casa Rosada") was built in 1812 for the Spanish army. Today houses a government tourism office where you can pick up brochures, maps and a complimentary welcome cocktail made with Puerto Rican rum.

The Casa de Ramón Power y Girault is the headquarters for the Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico, it also serves as a conservation resource center, in which critical environmental issues can be explored through an interactive multimedia exhibition entitled OJO-ISLA.

The Caparra Ruins are those of an ancient fort where Ponce de León founded the first settlement on the island in 1508. The Museum of the Conquest and Colonization of Puerto Rico at the ruins offers historical documents, exhibits and artifacts.

The Ballajá Barracks or Ballajá Quarters ("Cuartel de Ballajá") were once home to Spanish troops and their families, the building could accommodate up to 1,000 people. The construction began in 1854, the main building was completed in 1863 and the chapel was added in 1881. Originally conceived as a solution to the lodging needs of military personnel stationed in San Juan. The Cuartel de Ballajá is a three-story square building with large gates on two ends, ample balconies, designed with a series of arches and a protected central courtyard that served as a plaza and covers a reservoir. The Cuartel de Ballajá was the last and largest building constructed by the Spaniards in the New World. Facilities included officer quarters, warehouses, kitchens, dining rooms, prison cells and stables. After the Spanish American War, the U.S. Army used Ballajá to house its Infantry division. In 1943, it was converted into a military medical facility, known as the Rodriguez Hospital and it was part of the Fort Brooke structure. Today it houses the Museum of the Americas (inaugurated October 12, 1992), located on its second floor. The museum features changing exhibitions, craft exhibits and an impressive collection of Caribbean and European American art and artifacts, most notably a diverse collection of carved santos (saints).

Back to the Top