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San Juan, Puerto Rico: Museums

San Juan has a variety of interesting historic building and museums. The following are some of the more interesting museums in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Currently the San Juan Museum of Art & History is located in a historic building in Old San Juan. The building was constructed in 1855 and used as a market. Restored in 1979 to showcase Puerto Rico's culture, the center now houses art exhibits, musical events and festivals.

The Pablo Casals Museum is a very nice museum. Currently the collection contains memorabilia, photos, manuscrips and videotape related to Pablo Casals and his various concerts. This Spaniard moved to Puerto Rico in the 1950's. He fell in love with Puerto Rico. Later on he became the conductor of the Puerto Rico Symphony and later President of the Conservatory of Music.

The Museum of the Indian features a variety of nice exhibits related to the native indigenous people of the Caribbean. You will find textiles, ceramics and other items of interest.

The Convento de los Dominicos was built by Dominicans in the very early 1520's. Over the centuries the building has been a convent, a mini fortress, headquarters for the US Army, and is now a museum. Not a major museum, but interesting to stop by and see.

The Casa Blanca was built in 1521 by Ponce de Leon and then occupied for centures by his decendants. In the late 1700's the Spanish took it over for military use, and then even later it was home to US commanders. Today the building is a museum and is focused on Puerto Rico's history during the 16th through 18th centuries. The rooms are decorated according to different historical period styles. It is claimed that this is the oldest continually occupied residence in the Americas.

The Casa Rosada was built in the early 1800's for the Spanish military. Today the government tourism office is located here. Stop by and pick up a map, a brochure, or even better, a complimentary cocktail made with Puerto Rican rum.

Stop by the ancient fort known as the Caparra Ruins. This location was the first settlement on the island and was founded by Ponce de Leon. The museum on this site is focused on the conquest and colonization of Puerto Rico.

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