Castillo San Felipe del Morro

Timeline

1. 1539–1540Morro headland, San Juan Bay entrance · San JuanSpanish engineers broke ground on a masonry artillery fort at the harbor mouth, establishing the core bastion that would anchor San Juan's colonial defense system through successive rebuilds.
2. c. 1540–1589San Felipe del Morro complex · San JuanOver the late sixteenth century the fort gained additional ramparts, gun platforms, and a lighthouse approach, responding to English and Dutch threats in the Caribbean shipping lanes.
3. c. 1600–1790San Juan defensive system · San JuanSuccessive Spanish military architects enlarged El Morro and linked it to city walls and sister forts, creating one of the most formidable colonial fortification complexes in the Americas.