Plaza de Armas of Castillo San Felipe del Morro, San Juan National Historic Site
Castillo San Felipe del Morro Main Page
Entrance into Castillo San Felipe Del Morro, commonly called El Morro, is across an arched bridge and through the sally port (the main entrance of a fort). This entrance was created in 1786, and above it was the coat of arms of Carlos III, who was then the king of Spain (1759-1788). The current coat of arms is a replica added by the National Park Service.
Entrance to Castillo San Felipe del Morro, San Juan National Historic Site
The bridge to the sally port was originally a drawbridge, but this was replaced in the 1800s. An additional masonry arch filled in the gap.
Bridge to the sally port of Castillo San Felipe del Morro, San Juan National Historic Site
The large, sunken field that the bridge spans and that lies between the fort wall (the scarp) and the wall on the opposite side (the counterscarp) is a dry moat. While the word moat conjures visions of an area flooded with water, dry moats were just as common. The soil of San Juan Island does not hold water very well, so a dry moat was the only choice.
Scarp, moat, and counterscarp (right-hand wall) of Castillo San Felipe del Morro, San Juan National Historic Site
Notice that the moat floor on the right side of the bridge when entering the fort is level with the top of the bridge. What you are looking at is the grass-covered roof of a World War II-era radio control center built in 1942. The top is covered with earth / grass so it would not be recognized from the air.
World War II radio control center in the moat of Castillo San Felipe del Morro, San Juan National Historic Site
Once passing through the sally port, visitors find themselves on the Plaza de Armas, which is literally Spanish for weapons square, though the term commonly refers to any public square. In regards to a fort, this is the main plaza where troops were drilled and inspected, and where meetings and other social activities took place. The plaza was ringed by barracks, officer quarters, and offices, so it was generally a busy place.
Plaza de Armas of Castillo San Felipe del Morro, San Juan National Historic Site
The Plaza de Armas that stands today was built during the 1770s, an era when all forts in San Juan received major overhauls (1770 through 1790). At each end is a portal to the fort’s rear bastions, and both the east and west walls are lined with casemates: fortified rooms with arched ceilings that are typically designed to hold artillery. The arched ceilings, which are far stronger than flat ceilings, help support either an additional level of the fort (often more casemates) or a rooftop terreplein (artillery platform).
Because artillery housed in casemates must be fired through an embrasure (hole in the wall), they have limited movement left to right and up and down as compared to guns mounted out in the open on a terreplein. However, casemates offer superior protection for the guns and crew, and each is connected by an archway so that soldiers don’t even have to venture outside during a battle to move from room to room. The photo below is from Fort Pulaski in Savanah, Georgia, but it shows how a cannon would have been positioned inside one of El Morro’s casemates.
Cannon exhibit inside a Fort Pulaski casemate
The casemates on the east wall (where the sally port is) do not have embrasures, so they were never intended to hold artillery. Instead, they were used for other purposes such as storage, troop housing, kitchens, office space, latrines, and chapels. Furthermore, they supported an upper level terreplein that was as wide as they were—much wider than the original terreplein. This gave soldiers more room to move around and to maneuver artillery into new positions if need be.
Typical barracks at Castillo San Felipe del Morro, San Juan National Historic Site
1770s chapel of Castillo San Felipe del Morro, San Juan National Historic Site
The casemates on the west side of the plaza (opposite from the sally port) do have embrasures, for they face the ocean. El Morro was built to protect the entrance to San Juan Bay, and most guns were aimed towards the ocean. If you look out through the embrasures, you get a great view of the Santa Barbara Bastion, the part of the fort where the bulk of the ocean-facing artillery was positioned.
Casemate capable of housing artillery at Castillo San Felipe del Morro, San Juan National Historic Site
View of the Santa Barbara Bastion from the plaza casemates of Castillo San Felipe del Morro, San Juan National Historic Site
Today the casemates are used for exhibit areas, a book and souvenir store, and restrooms. The four west wall casemates at the north end of the plaza house an exhibit on the history of Puerto Rico starting with the arrival of the Spanish and ending with the United States’ occupation in the 1900s. Each room covers a different era, and El Morro is worked into the narrative whenever possible. Be sure to start in the room with a Spanish conquistador outside the entrance, which covers the years 1539-1760. If you first come to an exhibit about the United States, you are on the wrong end of the exhibit rooms.
Casemate at Castillo San Felipe del Morro with an exhibit about the history of Puerto Rico, San Juan National Historic Site
The exhibit is comprised mainly of information panels. What is interesting is that some of the same topics are covered for each era, such as weapons and what life in San Juan was like, so you can track the changes over time. There is also a relief map of San Juan for each era, which allows you to visually see how the city grew. It takes roughly 30 minutes to read through all of the information if you are inclined to do so.
Exhibit on the history of Puerto Rico in the casemates at Castillo San Felipe del Morro, San Juan National Historic Site
The west wall casemates are also where you will find the restrooms, souvenir store, a room with some cannon and artillery tools, and the kitchen.
Artillery exhibit in the plaza casemates of Castillo San Felipe del Morro, San Juan National Historic Site
Kitchen on the plaza of Castillo San Felipe del Morro, San Juan National Historic Site
Artillery exhibit in the plaza casemates of Castillo San Felipe del Morro, San Juan National Historic Site
A 28-minute film called An Island’s Legacy: The Fortifications of Old San Juan is also shown in one of the El Morro casemates. It covers the history of both El Morro and Castillo San Cristóbal, the other fort at San Juan National Historic Site. I highly suggest watching it before exploring the fort so that you have some clue as to what you are looking at. When I visited, the theater at San Cristobal was closed, so just in case that situation hasn’t changed, start your tour of the park at El Morro. It makes sense anyway because it is the oldest of the two forts.
San Juan National Historic Site park film shows in a plaza-level casemate at Castillo San Felipe del Morro
I spent an hour and a half at the plaza alone, which included watching the film, reading through all the exhibits, and taking photos. I realize most people couldn’t care less about reading everything, but give yourself 45 minutes for this level. This gives you time to see the film and at least walk through all the exhibit rooms.
When done, you have three options to proceed. One is to head down the ramp opposite the sally port to the Santa Barbara Bastion. The other is to continue through one of the archways at either end of the plaza. If facing the entrance, the archway on the right leads to the Austria Bastion and the archway on the left to the Ochoa Bastion. It doesn’t really matter which way you go because the entire upper level of the fort makes a loop—exit the plaza through one archway and reenter through the other.
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Last updated on April 8, 2024
