OLD SAN JUAN

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Juan Ponce de Leon founded the city in 1508, only 16 years after Columbus discovered the Indies (sic). At that time, the city was called Puerto Rico (rich port). Over time, the city became known as San Juan, and the larger island as Puerto Rico. The Cathedral de San Juan Batista at the center of this vista was built in 1521, destroyed by a hurricane and rebuilt in 1540, and remodeled in 1917. The city=s Spanish Colonial architecture has been protected from modern development by local law. In 1890, the island was made a US Territory. Over the years, the Puerto Ricans have considered applying for statehood, which comes to vote regularly.

Having travelled to San Juan on business a number of times, I had not managed to get to the old city. But on this day, meetings were over, and the flight home was late, so I grabbed a cab and was dropped at Plaza Colon at the east end of the old city. I strolled west on Calle San Francisco. After a few blocks, I caught this view, with the Cathedral de San Juan Batista anchoring the vista. The narrow street was busy with people and traffic. There are wonderful shops and restaurants throughout the town. The day was hot, so sweat was pouring, making sketching difficult. The right half of the sketch was done on site, but the rest from photo record in the comfort of a controlled climate. Like other cityscapes I=ve sketched, the detail is intricate and tedious, but defines what the city is about. Literal accuracy is impossible with so many elements in random collage, so fudging and blurring abounds. But as in nature, it is this randomness and lack of order that creates character B which is unique and definitive for each location.