Пуэрта-де-Тьерра: История и наследие старого Сан-Хуана

Subbarrio of San Juan Antiguo in Puerto Rico

Puerta de Tierra is a subbarrio (subdistrict) occupying the eastern portion of the Islet of San Juan and the barrio of San Juan Antiguo in the municipality of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The name Puerta de Tierra (Spanish for land gate) derives from the former eastern gated entrance to the walled city of San Juan where Plaza Colón (formerly Santiago Square, named after the Puerta de Santiago) is today. With a population of 2,924 as of 2010, this is the most populated area of San Juan Antiguo. On October 15, 2019, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Before the arrival of the Europeans to Puerto Rico, Puerta de Tierra (along with Old San Juan) formed part of a smaller islet which was populated by the Taíno. Remains of a small indigenous fishing village have been found where the Puerto Rico National Guard Museum stands today, however most archaeological sites in the area have been destroyed and lost during the construction of the Muñoz Rivera Avenue and surrounding buildings.

The Spanish began the colonization of Puerto Rico in 1508 when Juan Ponce de León founded Caparra, the first permanent settlement in the island, located in the southern part of the Bay of San Juan (today part of Guaynabo). This Spanish village was abandoned in 1519 when the Spanish founded the settlement of Puerto Rico de San Juan Bautista (modern day Old San Juan) across the bay. The area where Puerta de Tierra is located became critical for the settlement and the defense of the Islet of San Juan as it represented the closest part of the islet to the main island of Puerto Rico. This area, later referred to as El Boquerón, was separated from the main island by the San Antonio strait (today known as the San Antonio Channel). The first bridge across the San Antonio Channel was built by enslaved Taínos between 1520 and 1521 as entrusted by the Order of Saint Jerome (or Hieronymites).

Although the military installations in San Juan were modernized in 1865, the eastern portion of the walls were no longer deemed necessary due to the eastward expansion of the city and were consequently partially demolished. The 1867 Virgin Islands earthquake destroyed the remaining eastern military installations in the area, and a new road and railway station were built with the name of Paseo Virgen de Nuestra de Señora de Covadonga and the Covadonga Terminal, respectively. The Paseo Covadonga exists today under the name of Covadonga Avenue.

Puerta de Tierra went through large changes during the beginning of the 20th century. Barriada Miranda was the first formally established public residential area in the zone in 1903 along the Camino Real, now called the Carretera Central. Politician Luis Muñoz Rivera suggested in 1907 that the territorial capitol of Puerto Rico should be built in the largest of the empty parcels of land where the eastern city walls used to be, next to the Tapia Theater. The first public elementary school, José Julián Acosta School, was also built here in 1907. The portion of this road that passed through Puerta de Tierra was popularly known as the Broadway of Puerto Rico by the media due to the large number of theaters and cultural performing institutions being built at the time. Tres Banderas Theater, for example, was the first cinema to be established in the area in 1910. Some of the first non Catholic Christian institutions were also established here in the 1910s such as the first Methodist church and the first Lutheran church in San Juan.

Puerta de Tierra conforms the eastern portion of the Islet of San Juan and it is connected to the mainland by bridges (Dos Hermanos and San Antonio) and a causeway. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north, El Boquerón and El Condado to the east, the San Antonio Channel to the south and Old San Juan immediately to the west. Puerta de Tierra is the site of many of Puerto Rico's government buildings, including the Capitol of Puerto Rico. With a 2000 census population of 4,135 and a land area of 0.60 sq. miles (1.55 km²), Puerta de Tierra is the largest and most populous subbarrio of San Juan Antiguo barrio. In October 2017, Puerta de Tierra won an award from the International Union of Architects, a non governmental body based in Switzerland which represents the world's architects. Puerta de Tierra was awarded "best public spaces".

On October 15, 2019, Puerta de Tierra was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places. According to Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Dia, Bibiana Hernández had worked for decades to have Puerta de Tierra added to the US National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and was overjoyed at the news. Many people such as artist and community spokesman, Jesús “Bubu” Negrón, have worked along with Arleen Pabón Charneco, a Puerto Rican architect and author of the NRHP nomination forms, to bring more visibility to the area. The community expressed concerns saying the area was starting to experience gentrification. This designation now makes the entire Isleta de San Juan (San Juan Islet) a historic district, along with the Old San Juan Historic District (which is also on the small isle) and the designation should make it easier to prioritize its care with federal funds for these purposes. There were already thirteen structures in Puerta de Tierra on the NRHP, including El Falansterio, Brambaugh School and the José Celso Barbosa Graded School. There is a phrase seen on murals around Puerta de Tierra that says Aquí vive gente ("People live here") and the community has been planning to create a museum about Puerta de Tierra.

U. S. Food and Drug Administration Office
U. S. National Guard Office