Puerto Rico Then & Now

For centuries, Puerto Rico has captured the hearts of sailors, soldiers and cruisers--including none other than Christopher Columbus who landed here back in 1493. Puerto Rico's colorful culture reflects her colorful past, blending together Spanish, African, and Amerindian influences. Known for its exotic exports, including sofrito, rum, coffee and Rita Moreno, Puerto Rico exudes old world charm. Experience this captivating Caribbean island for yourself in Puerto Rico Then & Now. * Through pairs of past and present photographs, you'll see Puerto Rico's beloved landmarks like you've never seen them before. * Puerto Rico is rich in colonial architecture--note the city walls, fortifications, cobblestone streets, hanging balconies, and plazas found throughout Old San Juan, Puerto Rico's distinctive, historical center. * Tour La Fortaleza, which once housed Puerto Rico's stores of gold and silver. Over the years, this magnificent building survived an attack by Sir Francis Drake, earthquakes, tsunamis and many hurricanes. Today, La Fortaleza is the governor's mansion--the world's oldest such residence in continuous use. * Seen Casa Blanca? Not the film, but the ancestral home of Juan Ponce de Leon, Puerto Rico's first governor. The Ponce de Leon family lived here for more than 250 years; today its patio and gardens are highlights of the Casa Blanca museum. * Revisit the beloved Castillo Valdez, built by the founders of Cerveceria India--one of Puerto Rico's favorite breweries. Legend has it that Se–or Valdez passed out cold beers to locals when the Castillo was demolished to make way for a modern Hilton hotel. * Puerto Rico is rich, indeed. Discover many additional then-and-now images of her national treasures, including Labadie Castle, the Roadkeeper's House in Hormigueros, Munoz Rivera Park, and the Hacienda Santa Ana, one of Puerto Rico's famed coffee plantations.

Jorge Rigau is a professorthe New School of Architecture at the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico. He has worked as an architect in Puerto Rico and written many books on the architecture of the Antilles islands.Off the internet:Architect Jorge Rigau graduated from Cornell University and holds a Master's degree in History from the University of Puerto Rico. He directed the Department of Cultural Affairs for that institution and the Student Arts League of San Juan. First Executive Director of the Colegio de Arquitectos y Arquitectos Paisajistas de Puerto Rico, Rigau has practiced his profession since 1980,having been elevated to Fellow status by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in 2000. As one of the finest researchers of turn-of-the-century architecture in the Hispanic Caribbean, Rigau has authored the books Puerto Rico 1900 (1992) and Havana/LaHabana (1994). For years, he has been a newspaper critic, having produced a numberof writings, articles and projects that have received local and international awards. For more than a decade, Rigau has directed innumerable research and built projects, most related to architecture, urbanism and conservation in the Antilles. Historian, practitioner, and architecture critic in newspapers and trade journals, he founded The New School of Architecture at Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico (1995), where he is professor and former Dean. Rigau has lectured at numerous universities throughout the United States, Latin America,the Caribbean, and Spain. In 2000, the Panamerican Federation of Architects' Associations granted him the Distinguished Educators' Award of Latin America.

Jorge Rigau is a professorthe New School of Architecture at the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico. He has worked as an architect in Puerto Rico and written many books on the architecture of the Antilles islands.Off the internet:Architect Jorge Rigau graduated from Cornell University and holds a Master's degree in History from the University of Puerto Rico. He directed the Department of Cultural Affairs for that institution and the Student Arts League of San Juan. First Executive Director of the Colegio de Arquitectos y Arquitectos Paisajistas de Puerto Rico, Rigau h