It’s a beautiful place! San Juan began as a Taíno settlement before being founded by Juan Ponce de León in the early 1500s, growing into a heavily fortified Spanish colonial port with landmarks like Castillo San Felipe del Morro; after centuries as a key hub of the Spanish Empire, it was ceded to the United States following the Spanish-American War in 1898, and today it stands as a vibrant Caribbean capital blending Indigenous, Spanish, African, and American cultural influences.