Located in front of Castillo San Felipe del Morro, the Cuartel de Ballaja was constructed from 1854 until 1864 to accommodate all the Spanish as well Puerto Rican regiments in Old San Juan. After the attack of 1898, the U.S. Army and the U.S. soldiers occupied this Cuartel until 1936.
In the Second World War, this building was converted into a hospital, and in 1976, the Puerto Rican government bought the building. The beautiful building eventually was abandoned, and it began to decay rapidly.
In 1992, in celebrations of the fifth Centenary of exchanges between Europeans and indigenous Americas, Ricardo Alegria — a well-known Puerto Rican archaeologist– suggested that the Cuartel de Ballaja create an exhibit explicitly devoted to Americas. Today, the Cuartel is perfectly functional and has the schools of dance and a music academy and the Museo de las Americas, the Puerto Rico Academy of the Spanish Language and the State Office of Historic Conservation.
Cuartel de Ballaja Contact Details
Address: Cuartel de, San Juan, 00901, Puerto Rico
Phone: +17877213737
Website: http://www.ballaja.com/
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