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Article: Old San Juan The Showcase Of Puerto Rico
- Article from:
- Chicago Sun-Times
- Article date:
- December 25, 1994
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1994 Chicago Sun-Times. (Hide copyright information)
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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico Contrary to what you may have heard, Puerto
Rico is San Juan and San Juan is Puerto Rico. Really. Way back
when, the 100-mile-long island was known as the Island of St. John
the Baptist, San Juan for short. And the old colonial city that
guards the entry into the island's best anchorage was called Puerto
Rico - Rich Port - because, well, that's what it was.
Puerto Rico's wealth stemmed from the haven it provided for
fleets of treasure-swollen galleons hauling the gold and silver of
the New World back to the vaults of Spain. This was the last stop
before the long transatlantic run.
Somewhere along the line the names got confused. The port city
came to be known as ...