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San Juan Museum of Art and History was built in 1855 as a market
and restored in 1979 as a cultural center, showcases Puerto Rico
art and music, including concerts and festivals.
The Pablo Casals Museum is the Spanish master's
legacy to the people of Puerto Rico. The museum collection includes
manuscripts, memorabilia, photographs and a library of videotapes
of Festival Casals concerts. Casals moved to Puerto Rico with
his wife in the 1950s. He became the conductor of the Puerto Rico
Symphony Orchestra and the president of the Conservatory of Music
in Puerto Rico.
The Museum of the Indian ("Museo del Indio"),
features exhibits on the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean region,
with exhibits, ceramics and archaeological digs.
Please note
that additional info (prices, activities, etc) are found to the
right of this pages. 
The Home for the Poor ("Asilo de Beneficencia")
was built 1840s for the indigent people. Today houses the Institute
of Puerto Rican Culture ("Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueño")
offering exhibits galleries every day, features an impressive
collection of artifacts from pre-European Puerto Rico, including
pottery, stone tools and relics, and a recreation of a Taíno
village.
The Old Dominican Convent ("Convento de
los Dominicos") was built by Dominican friars in 1523, this
building has served alternately as a convent, as a shelter against
Carib Indian raids, and as the Caribbean headquarters of the U.S.
Army. The convent contains a small chapel museum.
The White House ("Casa Blanca") built
in 1521 and lived in by Ponce de León descendants for over
250 years. In 1779 it was taken over by the Spanish military,
then used later by the United States as a residence for military
commanders (1898-1966). Today the mansion serves as National Historic
Monument, housing a museum of 16th, 17th and 18th century history.
Each room is decorated in a style associated with a period of
the house's history. Casa Blanca is the oldest continuously occupied
residence in the Western Hemisphere. Located on San Sebastián
Street, Old San Juan, houses a ethnographic museum and Taino (native
Indian) artifacts.
The Pink House ("Casa Rosada") was
built in 1812 for the Spanish army. Today houses a government
tourism office where you can pick up brochures, maps and a complimentary
welcome cocktail made with Puerto Rican rum.
The Casa de Ramón Power y Girault is the
headquarters for the Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico, it also
serves as a conservation resource center, in which critical environmental
issues can be explored through an interactive multimedia exhibition
entitled OJO-ISLA.
The Caparra Ruins are those of an ancient fort
where Ponce de León founded the first settlement on the
island in 1508. The Museum of the Conquest and Colonization of
Puerto Rico at the ruins offers historical documents, exhibits
and artifacts.
The Ballajá Barracks or Ballajá
Quarters ("Cuartel de Ballajá") were once home
to Spanish troops and their families, the building could accommodate
up to 1,000 people. The construction began in 1854, the main building
was completed in 1863 and the chapel was added in 1881. Originally
conceived as a solution to the lodging needs of military personnel
stationed in San Juan. The Cuartel de Ballajá is a three-story
square building with large gates on two ends, ample balconies,
designed with a series of arches and a protected central courtyard
that served as a plaza and covers a reservoir. The Cuartel de
Ballajá was the last and largest building constructed by
the Spaniards in the New World. Facilities included officer quarters,
warehouses, kitchens, dining rooms, prison cells and stables.
After the Spanish American War, the U.S. Army used Ballajá
to house its Infantry division. In 1943, it was converted into
a military medical facility, known as the Rodriguez Hospital and
it was part of the Fort Brooke structure. Today it houses the
Museum of the Americas (inaugurated October 12, 1992), located
on its second floor. The museum features changing exhibitions,
craft exhibits and an impressive collection of Caribbean and European
American art and artifacts, most notably a diverse collection
of carved santos (saints).
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