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Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery

1863 establishments in Puerto RicoBuildings and structures in San Juan, Puerto RicoCemeteries in Puerto RicoGeography of San Juan, Puerto RicoTourist attractions in San Juan, Puerto Rico
USA 2016 Puerto Rico San Juan Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery
USA 2016 Puerto Rico San Juan Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery

The Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery is a colonial-era cemetery located in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is the final resting place of many of Puerto Rico's most prominent natives and residents. Construction began in 1863 under the auspices of Ignacio Mascaro. The cemetery is located outside the walls of Fort San Felipe del Morro fortress, one of the island's most famous landmarks. The average height of the wall is 40 feet and the width ranges from 15 to 20 feet. It was named in honor of Saint Maria Magdalena de Pazzi. According to Rafael Rodríguez, Chaplain and director of pastoral services at the Universidad del Sagrado Corazón located in the Santurce district of the capital, the location of the cemetery is central to the Puerto Rican belief in the separation of death and life. The colonial Spanish government at the time construction of the cemetery commenced, viewed death with fear because it was a mystery. Therefore, they decided to build the cemetery to overlook the Atlantic Ocean to symbolize the spirit's journey to cross over to the afterlife.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery
Calle Tiburcio Reyes, San Juan

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Latitude Longitude
N 18.469722222222 ° E -66.120277777778 °
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Cementerio Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis

Calle Tiburcio Reyes
00901 San Juan (Viejo San Juan)
Puerto Rico, United States
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USA 2016 Puerto Rico San Juan Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery
USA 2016 Puerto Rico San Juan Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery
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Museo de las Américas
Museo de las Américas

Museo de las Américas is a multidisciplinary museum in San Juan, Puerto Rico dedicated to the arts, folklore, architecture and broader history of the Americas. Its mission is to offer a synoptic view of the history and culture of the Americas from ancient to contemporary, emphasizing in Puerto Rico and its relationship to the continent, through exhibition programs and cultural activities. Founded in 1992 by Ricardo Enrique Alegría Gallardo, a professor at the Universidad de Puerto Rico and founder of the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, the museum is dedicated to its role in preserving and perpetuating Puerto Rican arts and culture, both within the territory and abroad. Among its temporary exhibitions, the museum has four permanent exhibitions: The Popular Arts in the Americas, The African Heritage, The Indigenous of America and Conquest and Colonization: Birth and Evolution of the Puerto Rican Nation. Museo de Las Americas is a multidisciplinary, multicultural and multidimensional learning museum, responding to a diverse community, which allows it to consolidate itself as a cutting-edge institution in Puerto Rico. It is currently housed in the former Ballajá Barracks, built between 1854 and 1864 as one of the last major architectural projects of the Spanish colonial rule over the island before it was annexed by the United States in 1898. Initially, when Puerto Rico was annexed by the United States, the federal government paid the Catholic Church for this property, among others in the area. Ownership of the property, claimed by the Catholic Church, was not a straightforward matter and had to be resolved by the Supreme Court. The Government of Puerto Rico acquired the building in 1976 through a transfer from the Government of the United States with the commitment of restoring it and using it for cultural, educative, and touristic purposes. In 1986, a reform plan for the San Juan Historic Zone was sketched and the building was restored from 1990 to 1993.