San Juan History Facts and Timeline

(San Juan, Puerto Rico)

The history of San Juan dates back to the beginning of the 16th century, when the original settlement of Caparra, which is now called the Pueblo Viejo sector of Guaynabo, was founded a little to the west of what is the metropolitan area today.

A year later it was moved to what was then called Puerto Rico (rich port) and was eventually given the name of San Juan Bautista de Puerto Rico in 1521. However, over the years, 'Puerto Rico' developed into the name for the island, while 'San Juan Bautista' tended to be used for the city.

Spanish Empire and Attacks

Under the rule of the Spanish Empire, San Juan was frequented by the military, as well as traders and other ships sailing from Spain en route to the Americas. Due to its rising status in the region, the Spanish decided to build a series of fortifications along the coastline, to enable them to better protect the gold and silver being shipped from the Americas to various European cities. Due to the extremely valuable cargoes regularly passing by, San Juan's history includes many battles with various foreign powers of this era.


The British were among the countries to attack the city and even occupied it for several months in 1598, before the Spanish managed to regain control. The Dutch also attempted to seize control in 1625, but were again defeated as the colonisers successfully defended their city. The British attacked once more in the year of 1797, but reluctantly had to withdraw, due to the unexpected strong resistance of the San Juan defences.

US Arrival

US naval ships arrived at San Juan Bay in 1898, coming to battle the Spanish for control of this Caribbean territory, but the Spanish were again able to hold strong. However, the Americans returned later that year, and after several weeks of combat, were able to gain control, and Spain finally ceded Puerto Rico to the USA.

Felisa Rincon de Gautier

One of the most notable moments in San Juan's history came at the beginning of January, 1947, when the city's people elected Felisa Rincon de Gautier as their mayor. In doing so, she became the first female to be named as the mayor of any of the capital cities residing within the Americas. She subsequently ordered Puerto Rico's earliest civil defence system to be created during the Cold War era and served as the city's mayor right up until 1969.

A Time of Uprising

Towards the end of October, 1950, the city witnessed the arrival of the San Juan Uprising, which was one of a number of uprisings staged across the country's largest cities and towns. These movements were led by the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party. The uprisings were against the local governments, as well as those of the US. In San Juan, protesters decided to attack both the US Federal Court House Building and the Governor's Mansion, which is better known locally as simply La Fortaleza. The La Fortaleza battle took place between the police and the nationalists, and lasted just a matter of minutes, resulting in several deaths.

Tourists looking to visit the city will tend to graduate towards Old San Juan, where much of the history resides. Various museums, churches and landmarks are based here, within the park named the National Historic Site. Alternatively, the Atlantic coastline provides plenty of seaside distractions.