Isla de Cabras (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

for "

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a species of Caprinae, goat-antelope that is mostly kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the ...

island") is a small

islet An islet ( ) is generally a small island. Definitions vary, and are not precise, but some suggest that an islet is a very small, often unnamed, island with little or no vegetation to support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/ ...

in the middle of the

mouth A mouth also referred to as the oral is the body orifice through which many animals ingest food and animal communication#Auditory, vocalize. The body cavity immediately behind the mouth opening, known as the oral cavity (or in Latin), is also t ...

San Juan Bay San Juan Bay () is a Bay#Types, semi-enclosed bay, estuary, and harbor connected to the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean in the northeastern coastal plain of Puerto Rico. Surrounded by the capital Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality o ...

in northeastern

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

. Part of the Palo Seco

barrio ''Barrio'' () is a Spanish language, Spanish word that means "Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter" or "neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city delimited by functional (e.g. residential, comm ...

in the

Toa Baja Toa Baja () is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the northern coast, north of Toa Alta and Bayamón; east of Dorado; and west of Cataño. Toa Baja is spread over five barrios, including Toa Baja Pueblo (the downtown area and ...

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

, the islet is located at the entrance to San Juan Bay, across from the

Old San Juan Old San Juan () is a historic district located at the "northwest triangle" of the San Juan Islet, islet of San Juan in San Juan, Puerto Rico, San Juan. Its area roughly correlates to the Ballajá, Old San Juan, Ballajá, Catedral, Old San Juan, ...

historic quarter in

San Juan Islet San Juan Islet ( Spanish: ''Isleta de San Juan'') is a islet or small island on San Juan Bay in the Atlantic coast of northern Puerto Rico. Home to Old San Juan, it is the site of the oldest permanent European settlement in Puerto Rico (1521), ...

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John (disambiguation), Saint John, most commonly refers to: * San Juan, Puerto Rico * San Juan, Argentina * San Juan, Metro Manila, a highly urbanized city in the Philippines San Juan may also refer to: Places Arge ...

, the capital municipality of the archipelago and island. Home to Isla de Cabras National Park, a recreational area opened in 1957, it contains El Cañuelo fort, which alongside El Morro fortress on San Juan Islet, protected San Juan Bay, the harbor of Old San Juan, from invasion by competing world powers during the

Age of Sail The Age of Sail is a period in European history that lasted at the latest from the mid-16th (or mid-15th) to the mid-19th centuries, in which the dominance of sailing ships in global trade and warfare culminated, particularly marked by the int ...

. The ruins of a 19th-century leprosy colony and a

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

fort are located in the islet, which also houses a police

firing range A shooting range, firing range, gun range or shooting ground is a specialized facility, sports venue, venue, or playing field, field designed specifically for firearm usage qualifications, training, practice, or shooting sport, competitions. ...

since 1950. The Bacardi’s

Cathedral of Rum The Cathedral of Rum in Cataño, Puerto Rico is the world's largest rum distillery. The Bacardi Distillery is located on and consists of forty-four buildings and structures, twenty-four of which contribute to its historical character. It can be ...

in the adjacent Cataño municipality is directly south of the islet. Surrounded by

reefs A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral, or similar relatively stable material lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic (non-living) processes such as deposition of sand or wave eros ...

and

shoals In oceanography, geomorphology, and geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material, and rises from the bed of a body of water close to the surface or ...

, Isla de Cabras originally consisted of the rocky

headland A headland, also known as a head, is a coastal landform, a point of land usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends into a body of water. It is a type of promontory. A headland of considerable size often is called a cape.Whittow, Jo ...

in the north of the islet. However, it was naturally connected to El Cañuelo fort by a shoal historically identified as ''Bajo del Cañuelo'' ("Cañuelo Shoal"). In 1943, this narrow, submerged sandbank was landfilled, elevating the partially underwater fort above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

and creating a road linking the islet and fort with the main island of Puerto Rico at ''Punta Palo Seco'' ("dry weed point") in the

municipality. ISS047-E-811_-_View_of_Earth

History

Spanish Fortification

Due to its strategic location at the entrance of

Bay, Isla de Cabras provided a strategic point for an effective crossfire with

Fort San Felipe del Morro Castillo San Felipe del Morro ( English: Promontory Castle of Saint Philip), most commonly known as ''El Morro'' (The Promontory), is a large fortress and citadel in the Old San Juan historic quarter of San Juan, the capital municipality of Pue ...

to prevent incoming ships from entering. It also provided defenses for the entrance of the

Bayamón River The Bayamón River () is a river of Puerto Rico beginning at an elevation of approximately 1,476 ft in barrio Beatriz in Cidra, Puerto Rico. It is slightly over 30 miles long and travels through several municipalities: Cidra, Aguas Buenas, ...

on the other side of the islet.

Leper Colony

At the end of the 19th century, a

leper Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria '' Mycobacterium leprae'' or '' Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve da ...

colony was established on the island. On December 17, 1876, the governor of

, Segundo de la Portilla, set the first stone of the official building to house lepers, which was completed in 1883. However, it is believed that the colony was established prior to construction of the building. Upon the occupation of

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

troops in 1898, management of the building was handed over to the government of the island. According to the 1910

US Census The United States census (plural censuses or census) is a census that is legally mandated by the Constitution of the United States. It takes place every ten years. The first census after the American Revolution was taken in 1790 under Secretar ...

, there were 35 people living on the island at that time. In 1926, a leper asylum was built on the main island (

Trujillo Alto Trujillo Alto () is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico. Located on the northeastern coastal plain on the boundary between the Northern Karst Belt and Sierra de Luquillo, it is north of Caguas and Gurabo, southeast of San Juan, and west of ...

) next to a church, and the residents of the colony were moved there. However, the original building still stands on Isla de Cabras.

American Fortification

In the 1940s, the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

built Fort Amezquita (named for

Juan de Amézqueta Juan de Amézqueta (born c. 1595), was a Spanish Empire, Spanish captain in the Puerto Rican Militia who defended Puerto Rico from an invasion by the Dutch in 1625. He fought and wounded Captain Balduino Enrico (Boudewijn Hendricksz) who was orde ...

), a few hundred feet from

El Cañuelo EL, El or el may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional entities * El, a character from the manga series ''Shugo Chara!'' by Peach-Pit * Eleven (''Stranger Things'') (El), a fictional character in the TV series ''Stranger Things'' * El, fami ...

. The fort was initially called the "Cabras Island Military Reservation". During

this fort served as a "concrete gun battery" for the US Army Coast Artillery Corps. In November 1940 the US Army transferred the barrels of three 12-inch coastal guns from

Fort Delaware Fort Delaware is a former harbor defense facility, designed by chief engineer Joseph Gilbert Totten and located on Pea Patch Island in the Delaware River.Dobbs, Kelli W., et al. During the American Civil War (1861-1865), the Union / Unite ...

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

; two of these guns were mounted in the fort as Battery Reed with the third as a spare. They were on long-range M1917

barbette Barbettes are several types of gun emplacement in terrestrial fortifications or on naval ships. In recent naval usage, a barbette is a protective circular armour support for a heavy gun turret. This evolved from earlier forms of gun protection ...

carriages and protected by concrete

casemate A casemate is a fortified gun emplacement or armoured structure from which guns are fired, in a fortification, warship, or armoured fighting vehicle.Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary When referring to antiquity, the term "casemate wall" ...

Shooting Range & Recreational Park

In recent years, the grounds that belonged to Fort Amezquita were converted into a shooting range and training area by the P.R.P.D. Ownership of the remaining acres of land were under legal dispute, until they were finally transferred to the Department of Sports and Recreation and opened to the public as the Isla de Cabras Recreational Park, which is equipped with several gazebos and includes a beach for swimming and fishing.

Gallery

Places and views in Isla de Cabras: File:Isla de Cabras, Barrio Palo Seco, Toa Baja, Puerto Rico.jpg, El Morro fortress from Isla de Cabras File:Rocks on Isla de Cabras, Puerto Rico.jpg, Breakwater protecting Isla de Cabras File:Isla de Cabras, at the entrance of the San Juan Bay in Puerto Rico.jpg, Recreational park at Isla de Cabras File:Isla-cabra-5.jpg, One of the main

gazebo A gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal or Gun turret, turret-shaped, often built in a park, garden, or spacious public area. Some are used on occasions as bandstands. In British English, the word is also used for a tent-like can ...

s at recreational park (2005) File:Isla de Cabras en Puerto Rico.jpg, Isla de Cabras from the El Morro fortress File:View of Isla de Cabras from El Morro, Puerto Rico.jpg, Isla de Cabras from the El Morro fortress

References

External links

Bio-political History of Isla de Cabras Leper Colony and the Problematics of the Memorialization of Suffering''
by Adriana María Garriga López, Columbia University {{DEFAULTSORT:Isla De Cabras Leper colonies Cabras, Isla de Toa Baja, Puerto Rico Tourist attractions in Puerto RicoJuan Medical and health organizations based in Puerto Rico