EL CANUELO
Fortin San Juan de la Cruz (Fort Saint John of the Cross), better known as el Cañuelo, is located on Isla de Cabras, Puerto Rico. This fort was originally built in wood in 1500. Its location at the entrance of the San Juan bay, and in front of the Fort San Felipe del Morro, across the bay, it created a crossfire for any invading ships entering the bay. It is said that, at one time, there was a huge chain crossing from El Morro to El Cañuelo that was stretched during attacks to provide a physical barricade across the bay entrance. The fort also guarded the mouth of the Bayamon River on the other side. The fort played an important role during a 1625 Dutch attack to the island. During that time it was burnt to ashes, the Spaniards rebuilt it with a stone fort in the 1650s. The square fort is about 80 feet per side, with one guerite (garita in Spanish). Originally built on a rocky islet, nearby Isla de Cabras (Goat Island).
