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PHOTOS

LA FORTALEZA


La Fortaleza is our Governor's mansion.  Here you could see the back yard.

 

Reference:  photo provided by Aurye

THE CAPITOL

The Capitol of Puerto Rico is where the Democrats and Republican Senators are located.  The House of Representatives of both political parties also have their offices there.





Reference:  photo provided by Aurye

CASA ESPAÑA

Puerto Rico architect Pedro de Castro designed the Casa de España building 1932 for a private civic and cultural organization composed of Spanish citizens living in Puerto Rico.  Spanish Moorish architecture inspired de Castro's design, which is notable for its towers, interior courtyard gallery and extensive use of colored title.  The organization, whose present present-day membership includes Puerto Ricans of Spanish descent, has played an important role in keeping Puerto Rico's Spanish cultural heritage alive.  Is located on Ponce de León Avenue in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  It is not regularly open to the public, but events are held throughout the year and portions of the building are available for rent.
Reference: www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/prvi/pr6.htm

 
Reference:  photo provided by Aurye

 

CENTRAL REGION

This is the Central Region of Puerto Rico, as you could see it has beautiful mountains.



Reference:  Photo provided by Aurye

BROAD-BRIMMED STRAW HAT  SELLER
(Vendedor de Pavas)

A long time ago in Puerto Rico, the men used these kind of hats made of broad-brimmed straw, today we use them as our "jíbaro" symbol.

Reference:  Drawing by my grandaughter, Elisha M. López


THE MOCA TREE


The name Moca is a Taíno word refering to this beautiful flowering local tree, known as "andira inemis" in the scientific community.

 

Reference:  http://www.carts.org/artist_rosa2.htm

THE ALAMBIQUE
(El Alambique)


This is a method used to make illegal rum in Puerto Rico, called "Ron Pitorro or Ron Cañita".  It may look  disgusting but really it is the best rum you probably ever taste.

Reference:  photo provided by Mr. Francisco Rivera Marrero (FRIMA)


THE FLAMBOYAN TREE
(El Arbol de Flamboyán)

This kind of tree comes in different  colors like yellow, blue, dark orange, light orange and white.  The one with the white flowers is a little different than the others because their flowers are smaller.

Reference:  photo provided by Mr. Francisco Rivera Marrero (FRIMA)

COQUI
(Little Frog)

This is our tropical Coqui, a tiny frog that you can only see them in Puerto Rico.  They sing "Coqui..., Coqui..., Coqui..."  during the night.  They live in the plants and close to the river.  They make the island special and unique!  The coqui is native only to Puerto Rico, where it is common on all but the southwest portion of the island along with 20 other species of Eleutherodactylus (Schwartz and Henderson 1991), and has become a sort of "mascot frog" (Crother 1999).  This species has been studied extensively in the laboratory with respect to its development, morphology,  metabolism, neurophysiology, and reproduction (not reviewed here).  The natural history, breeding call acoustics, and reproductive behavior of E. coqui in its native range has been most extensively studied in the Luquillo Experimental Forest (LEF), an over 11,000 ha reserve established in the Mountains of eastern Puerto Rico in 1956.  LEF is part of the Long Term Ecological Research Network (LTER), an important program that "seeks to understand ecological phenomena over long temporal and large spatial scales."
Reference:   http://invasions.bio.utk.edu/invaders/coqui.html

Reference:   http://invasions.bio.utk.edu/invaders/coqui.html

ORIGINAL WATER FALL



This is an original water fall.  As you can see it comes directly from the mountain.




Reference:  photo provided by Mr. Francisco Rivera Marrero (FRIMA)

SAN GERONIMO CASTLE
(CASTILLO DE SAN GERONIMO)

This is another beautiful historic place in San Juan, P.R. It was constructed by the Spanierds in  war times.

 
Reference:  photo took from a Calendar

OLD FIRE DEPARTMENT
VIEJO PARQUE DE BOMBAS

 

This is the antique Fire Department, located in Ponce, P.R.  Today is also used as a museum.

Reference:  photo took from a Calendar

 

PUERTA DE SAN JUAN, LA FORTALEZA
Y PASEO DEL MORRO

 

Here is the San Juan Gate, our Governor's Mansion "La Fortaleza" and the way to "El Morro".

 

Reference:  photo took from a Calendar.

SAN FELIPE DEL MORRO CASTLE
(Garita del Diablo)

 

This is part of the San Felipe del Morro Castle, in which you can appreciate the Garita del Diablo, also used by the Spanierds as a point of view where they check all ships that came to the island.
Reference:  photo from one of Puerto Rico websites: "Boricuazo".

 

 

Reference:  photo from one of Puerto Rico websites:  "Boricuazo".

 

ESCAMBRON BEACH

 

Here is the Escambrón Beach, one of our many warm beaches in the island.  Is located in the back of the Normandie Hotel, in
San Juan, P.R.

 

Reference:  photo took from a Calendar.

 

EL YUNQUE FOREST
(Area Forestal El Yunque)



This forest  is one of our beautiful places of attraction  in our island. 

 

Reference:  photo took from a Calendar.

 

RADAR

 

This is the biggest Radar in the world and is located in Arecibo, Puerto Rico.
Reference:  photo from one of Puerto Rico websites:  "Boricuazo".

 

Reference:  photo from one of Puerto Rico websites "Boricuazo".

 

EL ANCON DE LOIZA

This was the old way of transportation used to cross the Loíza River from Piñones, Isla Verde to Loíza Aldea, P.R.  Today they made a bridge that you can cross the river  with a car, but they still using El Ancón de Loíza as a tourist attraction.
Reference:  photo took from the Calendar.

 

Reference:  photo took from a Calendar.
 

UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO
(Located at Río Piedras, Puerto Rico) 

  
Founded in 1903, the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) is the oldest and largest university system in Puerto Rico. Though Puerto Rico is not a U.S. state, the system is run much like a state university system and its programs have been accreditated by US accreditation agencies It is also the largest university system on the island and consists of 11 campuses with aproximately 64,740 people either studying or teaching. (About 60,000 are subgraduates)  In 1908, the United States government extended financial aid to the University of Puerto Rico as part of the Morill Act thus making the university a land grant From these new funds another campus, "El Colegio de Agricultura", was established in 1911 at Mayaguez. One year later its name was changed to "Colegio de Agricultura y Artes Mecánicas" (CAAM).  On September 20, 1966, then Governor Roberto Sánchez Vilella signed a law which reorganizes the University of Puerto Rico. The most important changes were the following:

• It grants complete autonomy to the School of Medicine which becomes the Medical Sciences campus.
• It grants complete autonomy to the Mayagüez and Río Piedras campuses. The former is renamed as "Recinto Universitario de Mayagüez" (RUM), a name it keeps to this day. At present time the RUM is well known for its excellence in Engineering and Science programs. The Rio Piedras campus is best known for the Social and Hummanities studies. Also,it has strong sciences deparments. At present time, the Rio Piedras Campus has an strong emphasis in the doctoral level programs. The Law School is the oldest in Puerto Rico.

• Three regional colleges are established at Arecibo, Cayey and Humacao.
• In 1969 the regional college at Cayey becomes an official campus. It is granted complete autonomy in 1982.
• In 1969 the regional college at Ponce is inaugurated.
• In 1970 the regional college at Bayamón is inaugurated.
• In 1972 the regional college at Aguadilla is inaugurated.
• In 1973 the regional college at Carolina is inaugurated.
• In 1978 the regional college at Utuado is inaugurated.
  
• Reference:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Puerto_Rico
  
  

Reference:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Puerto_Rico

UNIVERSIDAD DE MAYAGUEZ
(Located at Mayaguez, Puerto Rico)

Mayaguez is the eighth largest municipality of Puerto Rico.  Also known as "La Sultana del Oeste"  (The Sultan of The West) or "Ciudad de las Aguas Puras" (City of Pure Waters), Mayaguez is located in the western part of the Island of Puerto Rico.  Its land area is 201.06 km which includes the uninhabited Mona Island as a subdivision. The "municipio"  has an estimated population of just over 100,000 spread over 21 wards and Mayagüez Pueblo (The downtown area and the administrative center of the city). Mayagüez is located 2 hours by automobile from San Juan.
Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayag%C3%BCez%2C_Puerto_Rico

Portico of the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, Puerto Rico
Reference:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayag%C3%BCez%2C_Puerto_Rico

PLOWING (ARADO)


It was used a long time ago to plow the soil, then after they can use it for planting.

 

Reference:  www.carts.org/artist_rosa3.html

 

PUERTO RICO IN 1899

On 1899 the houses in Puerto Rico were made from deadwood.   As you could appreciate it in the photo,  the people look humble.  At the present we have more progress, but we still been humble people.

 

Reference:  www.puertorico.com

"EL FOGON"

"El Fogón" it was the way people in Puerto Rico used to cook in the old days, now replaced by gas or electric stoves, but in some places of Puerto Rico still using this way, and let me tell you something, the food made in "El Fogón" taste really good, better than made in a gas or electric stove. 



Reference:  Photo took from a Calendar

TRAINS

For a long time in Puerto Rico the only train we had it was used to transport the sugar cane (caña de azúcar) from our different towns to the Sugar Cane Factory (Central Azucarera) to be processed as refine sugar.

Reference:  www.puertorico.com

Then, years later, Puerto Ricans used this train as a way of transportation between the towns. 

Reference: www. puertorico.com

This is our new train called "Urban Train" (Tren Urbano), completely new, and used today as a way of transportation.

Reference:  www.google.com