City preview · SAN JUAN
Ships entering San Juan could face cannon fire from both sides of the channel. In 1898, the U.S. flag went up over City Hall before the treaty ceding Puerto Rico was signed. Some paving blocks in the old town were made from British ironworks slag. At a bomba gathering, the lead drummer follows the dancer’s movements.
4 web previews 93 stories in the app
From the harbor entrance to old streets and a bomba gathering
Four complete stories and their public sources are shown here; the rest of the collection is in the app.
01 · Castillo San Felipe del Morro
Two forts made the harbor entrance a dangerous passage.
Sailing into San Juan meant passing between El Morro and El Cañuelo across the bay. Their guns could fire across the same channel. A ship steering away from El Morro faced another problem: wind and tide could push it toward the shallows on the opposite side.
Source: nps.gov
02 · Casa Alcaldía de San Juan
The US flag went up before the treaty was signed.
On October 18, 1898, the US flag rose over City Hall. Months earlier, the United States had intervened in Cuba's war against Spain, beginning the Spanish-American War. After Spain's defeat, the countries agreed to an armistice in August, and the US military subsequently took control of Puerto Rico. December's Treaty of Paris stipulated Spain's cession of Puerto Rico to the United States. The rooftop flag change preceded the treaty's signing by nearly two months.
Source: coleccionesicp.pr.gov Source: history.state.gov
03 · Calle San Francisco y Calle San José — adoquines
British ironmaking supplied some of these paving blocks.
In the late nineteenth century, San Juan used local limestone for paving and also imported British-made slag blocks. The slag came from ironmaking; blocks made from it ranged from gray-white to dark blue-gray. Traffic later wore the streets down, prompting continued repairs and replacements. Different batches and colors now appear together underfoot.
Source: enciclopediapr.org Source: bvirtualogp.pr.gov
04 · La Terraza de Bonanza
The dancer moves first. The drum answers.
At La Terraza de Bonanza's bomba gatherings, a dancer steps in front of the drums and makes a movement with a foot, a turn or a sweep of the skirt. The lead drummer watches and answers that gesture immediately, while the other drums maintain the underlying beat.
Source: discoverpuertorico.com Source: discoverpuertorico.com
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