Lighthouses in Puerto Rico

season spanning 8 months out of the year) and lack of care. Some, however, have been fully restored and are open to the public in an effort to increase tourism appeal to the island.

None of the lighthouses in Puerto Rico are serving their original purpose, since those sites which the U.S. Coast Guard determined that they needed a guidance light were fitted with a "skeletal tower" with a flashing light. A skeletal tower is not considered a lighthouse.

List of Lighthouses in Puerto Rico

The following is a list of the lighthouses in Puerto Rico:

Main Island

* Los Morrillos Lighthouse - located in Cabo Rojo, recently restored.

* Punta Higuero Lighthouse - located in Point Jiguero, Rincón. It has been fully restored and is part of the "El Faro Park", a tourist and recreation center.

* Punta Borinquen Lighthouse - located in the old Ramey Air Force Base in Aguadilla.

* Punta Morrillo Lighthouse - located in Arecibo.

* El Morro or Port San Juan Light - located inside el Morro Fort in Old San Juan. Access inside the lighthouse is restricted, but the lighthouse can be seen up close when visiting the El Morro Fort.

* Cabezas de San Juan Lighthouse - located in Fajardo. Fully restored and open to the public, it is Puerto Rico's signature lighthouse, featured in many publicity photos. The lighthouse is surrounded by spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean.

* Cana Lighthouse - located in the El Bosque Seco (Guanica Dry Forest) in Guanica. Its main structure is in ruins, with no plans for restoration.

* Isla de Cardona Lighthouse - located in the entrance to Ponce harbor.

* Caja de Muerto Lighthouse - located in the Caja de Muertos (Coffin) island in Ponce. The lighthouse is abandoned, but accessible on foot. The site is considered dangerous because of its deteriorated conditions and sightseekers are discouraged from entering.

* Punta de las Figuras Lighthouse - located in Punta Figuras in Arroyo. It has been recently restored and open to the public.

* Punta Tuna Lighthouse - located in Maunabo. The lighthouse is not in operations and is closed to the public, although it is maintained as an active U.S. Coast Guard station.

Culebra, Mona, and Vieques Islands

* Mona Island Lighthouse - located in Mona, a small island west of the main Puerto Rican island. It was designed by Gustave Eiffel, famed arquitect of the Eiffel Tower. Its condition is considered dire. Unless restored soon, many considered the lighthouse lost.

* Punta Mulas Lighthouse - located in Vieques. Recently restored, it houses a maritime museum and is open to the general public.

* Puerto Ferro Lighthouse - located in Vieques. Abandoned and deteriorating rapidly, the site is accessible by air or sea, but visiting is discouraged.

* Culebrita Lighthouse - located in Culebra, Culebrita. The tower is closed and in fair condition. The site is accessible by sea, but visitors are discouraged from entering the lighthouse itself.

Destroyed

* Isla Cabras Lighthouse (destroyed) - was located in Ceiba, but was abandoned in 1965 and destroyed in 1966.

ummarized list

(1) The U.S. Coast Guard lists this lighthouse as “active”, however eyewitness reports state that the facilities are in ruins and long abandoned. In August 2000, Lighthouse Digest stated that the Culebrita lighthouse was “on the brink of extinction.”

Pictures

ee also

References

* [http://www.cr.nps.gov/maritime/light/pr.htm Inventory of Historic Light Stations: Puerto Rico Lighthouses] , United States National Park Service Maritime Heritage Program
* [http://www.lhdepot.com/Digest/StoryPage.cfm?StoryKey=1232 Doomsday Lights of Puerto Rico] by Sandra Shankli, Lighthouse Digest February 2002, accessed April 5, 2007

External links

* [http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Proclamation_%28Roosevelt%29 Presidential Proclamation annexing lighthouses] , 30 June 1903.
* [http://www.tunapointlighthouse.homestead.com/prlights.html Puerto Rico System of Lighthouses - English Version]
* [http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/lighthouse The Lighthouse Directory, covers the whole world]
* [http://www.caborojopr.com/los-morillos-lighthouse-pictures-cabo-rojo-puerto-rico.html Los Morillos Lighthouse, Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico]
* [http://www.tunapointlighthouse.homestead.com/files/prlights.kmz Visit all the Puerto Rico Lighthouses on Google Earth (Requires Google Earth) Click Play Tour Button]