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 honor the 500-year anniversary of Columbus’ first voyage to the Americas, it is dominated by a stylized granite and clay totem pole – El Tótem Telúrico – by Puerto Rican artist Jaime Suárez. Using clay from across the Americas, it is meant to signify the origins of the people of the Americas.
Plaza del Quinto Centenario
San Juan
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
24.85 MILES
El Yunque National Forest is one of Puerto Rico’s crown jewels with nearly 29,000 acres of lush, mountainous terrain scattered with waterfalls, rushing…
0.39 MILES
A star of Old San Juan, brooding El Morro sits atop a headland, deterring would-be attackers. The 140ft walls (some up to 15ft thick) date to 1539 and it…
0.54 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…
0.07 MILES
This museum presents an impressive overview of cultural development in the Americas, including indigenous, African and European influences. Four permanent…
1.9 MILES
This sheltered arc's raked sand, decent surf breaks, local action and a 17th-century Spanish fort shimmering in the distance are the hallmarks of what's…
23.5 MILES
The St Christopher canyon is so unexpected – both in location and appearance – that it takes many a breath away. The deep green chasm seemingly drops out…
3.72 MILES
San Juan boasts one of the largest and most celebrated art museums in the Caribbean. Housed in a splendid neoclassical building that was once the city’s…
6.41 MILES
With countless tanned bodies lounging or flexing their biceps around the volleyball net, this urban beach basks in its reputation as the Copacabana of…
Nearby San Juan attractions
0.05 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…
0.06 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…
0.07 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…
0.07 MILES
This museum presents an impressive overview of cultural development in the Americas, including indigenous, African and European influences. Four permanent…
5. Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña
0.1 MILES
Constructed in the mid-19th century as a shelter for the poor, this bright-yellow building houses the executive offices of this institute that organizes a…
6. Cementerio Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis
0.1 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…
0.11 MILES
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…
0.13 MILES
First constructed in 1521 as a residence for Puerto Rico’s pioneering governor, Juan Ponce de León (who died before he could move in), Casa Blanca is the…