San Juan Celebrating 500th Anniversary

The Weekly Journal ^ | 09/06/2021 | Yaritza Rivera Clemente

[cll]

The oldest European-founded city in the United States. Although I maintain that it is even older. The Spanish first settled here in 1508 - around the time Michelangelo was painting the Sistine Chapel - in an area on the southern side of today's San Juan harbor. But that area was swampy and very impractical so they moved to the north side which was on solid rock, on high terrain, breezy and where the harbor was better defended from.

[cll]

Puerto Rico Ping! Please Freepmail me if you want on or off the list.

[Tennessee Nana]

I love San Juan...

If you have a National Parks card, the forts in SJ are part of the NP...

[Red Badger]

500 Years of bad government is nothing to celebrate.

I think Spain pulled a fast one on us........................

[cll]

That’s 405 years under the Spanish Crown, during which they built a magnificent city, then a decade or so of U.S. military governments, then a couple of decades ruled by the fruit companies, then a military bastion during WWII, and after that local self-rule began. So technically, 70 years of on and off mismanagement.

[GreenLanternCorps]

Happy 500th Birthday San Juan! (You don’t look a day over 250.)

[PJ-Comix]

FUN FACT: San Juan was originally named “Puerto Rico” (makes sense) and Puerto Rico was originally named “San Juan.” At some point, they switched names.

[GreenLanternCorps]

Speaking of San Juan:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_San_Juan_(CL-54)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_San_Juan_(SSN-751)

[Az Joe]

I celebrated bein in P.R. at this place a couple of nights.

[cll]

You must be Navy, then. Thank you for your service...and getting serviced there!

[cll]

[Manic_Episode]

A place where the beer flows like wine. Where beautiful women instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano.

[PUGACHEV]

I once visited a coffee plantation not far from Ponce, on the other side of the island from San Juan. All of the power for the plantation, electrical and mechanical, was provided by a water turbine made at West Point in the 1840's. It was still in good condition and operating, although no, longer used to produce electrical power. Amazingly, the water powering the turbine came from a channel not two foot square.

The plantation was profitable until American law supplanted Spanish law and the plantation ceased to have unlimited right to the water in a stream flowing though its grounds.

[Tennessee Nana]

That’s swallows...

[adorno]

There’s a party-pooper in every crowd.

[minnesota_bound]

Kinda of a tie in.... : )

West Side Story - America
https://youtu.be/_e2igZexpMs?t=189

[Manic_Episode]

I should have used quotations. Dumb and Dumber reference.

[Az Joe]

Navy submariner

It was my privilege to serve but I appreciate the intent.

As we set to sea again I was well tired.

[Az Joe]

That about captures it.

[oldvirginian]

Happy Birthday Puerto Rico!
Sounds like you’re putting on your dancing shoes and best “Do Me” dress and strutting your stuff!
Not bad for a lady your age.