Set in a former marketplace, this small museum offers the definitive take on the city's 500-year history. A permanent exhibit showcases well-laid-out pictorial testimonies from the Caparra ruins to modern-day neighborhoods. There’s also a 120-seat theater and two temporary exhibition spaces that feature work from contemporary Latin American artists. Every Saturday morning a small farmers market is held in the pretty courtyard.
Museo de San Juan
San Juan
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
24.76 MILES
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0.43 MILES
The city's second major fort is one of the largest Spanish-built military installations in the Americas. In its prime, it covered 27 acres with a maze of…
0.18 MILES
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23.56 MILES
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3.62 MILES
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6.31 MILES
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Nearby San Juan attractions
0.07 MILES
What it lacks in grandiosity it makes up for in age: the Iglesia de San José is the second-oldest church in the Americas, after the cathedral in Santo…
0.08 MILES
This small cobblestone plaza is dominated by a statue of Juan Ponce de León, cast from English cannons captured in the raid of 1797. It's a popular spot…
3. Plaza del Quinto Centenario
0.11 MILES
This modern square is shoehorned in among several architectural landmarks and offers great views over El Morro and the ocean beyond. Built in 1992 to…
0.16 MILES
Built in 1854 as a military barracks, the cuartel is an impressive three-story edifice with large gates on two ends, a series of arches and a large…
5. Catedral de San Juan Bautista
0.17 MILES
While San Juan's cathedral is smaller and less flamboyant than many Spanish churches, it retains a simple elegance. The first church on this site was…
6. Cementerio Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis
0.17 MILES
This 19th-century cemetery sits just outside the old city's northern fortifications, backed by dazzlingly blue ocean. The colony’s earliest citizens are…
0.18 MILES
This pretty little park faces the Catedral de San Juan Bautista. Its ironwork benches and shade trees make it a good place for people watching, especially…
0.18 MILES
This museum presents an impressive overview of cultural development in the Americas, including indigenous, African and European influences. Four permanent…