Walking Tours

Start: East side of Plaza Las Delicias

Finish: North side of Plaza Las Delicias

Time: 90 minutes, excluding coffee breaks, museum visits, and shopping stops

The downtown revitalization of Ponce has required more money and generated more publicity than that of any other city in Puerto Rico except Old San Juan. Your tour of this Caribbean showplace begins on the eastern edge of the town's main square, the Plaza Las Delicias (also known as Plaza Muñoz Rivera). Within the symmetrical borders of this main square, you'll see the red-and-black-striped clapboard facade of the town's most frequently photographed building. (Red and black, incidentally, are the colors of the city's flag.)

As you begin the tour, note the Victorian gingerbread and the deliberately garish colors of the:

1. Parque de Bombas (Old Municipal Fire House)

This building housed the fire department before it moved into more modern quarters in another part of the city. You can still see a handful of bright red fire engines parked inside.

On the plaza's opposite side, adjacent to Calle Concordia/Calle Union, is the:

2. Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe

When you visit, there will almost certainly be parishioners at prayer inside this, the best-known church in southern Puerto Rico. Its alabaster altars were commissioned by an ex-governor of Puerto Rico in the late 1960s in Burgos, Spain.

As you leave the cathedral, notice the many impeccably clipped trees ringing the perimeter of the plaza. Identified as Indian laurels, they were planted between 1906 and 1908 and are one of the botanical triumphs of Ponce. Clipped manually into topiary forms and carefully groomed by a master gardener, they are well worth a second or third glance. The elaborate iron lampposts nearby date from 1916.

Across Calle Concordia from the main entrance to the cathedral is one of Ponce's most famous houses, at the western border of the Plaza Las Delicias:

3. Casa Armstrong-Poventud

This paneled and ornately crafted building was once the home of a wealthy Scottish-born banker. The Poventud family moved in after the Armstrongs. Today, it's a cultural center, and it's open Monday through Friday from 8am to noon and 1 to 4:30pm. Admission is free.

Turn right upon exiting Casa Armstrong-Poventud and walk southward beneath the Indian laurels. On the square's southern edge, you'll see one of the most historic buildings of Ponce, restored to reflect its original function during Spanish colonial days:

4. Casa Alcaldía (City Hall)

Standing on the site of an 18th-century monastery, this building was erected in 1840 as a general assembly, and then it served as the civic jail until 1905. Speeches by Theodore Roosevelt (in 1906), Herbert Hoover (in 1931), and Franklin D. Roosevelt (in 1934) were delivered from its central second-floor balcony to crowds assembled below. George Bush (I) visited the building in 1987. The clock set into the tower was imported from London in 1877, and a tour of the baronial street-level interior reveals a memorial plaque dedicated to the fallen American dead (Second Wisconsin Regiment) during the Spanish-American War. A few paces farther, you'll see a galleried courtyard that formerly served as prisoners' cells. The building's main courtyard was used for public executions. In City Hall, other plaques make clear that the city of Ponce was named not after Juan Ponce de León, but rather after de León's great-grandson, Loíza Ponce de León, one of the town's early civic leaders.

Across from the entrance to City Hall (in Plaza Las Delicias), you'll see one of the most beautiful fountains of Puerto Rico, the:

5. Lion Fountain (Puente de los Léones)

Crafted from marble and bronze, the Lion Fountain was modeled after a famous fountain in Barcelona, Spain. It was made for the 1939 New York World's Fair and later purchased by the mayor of Ponce.

Continue your walk along the southern edge of the square. Note the way the plaza has "chopped corners" (broadly rounded 45-degree corners rather than 90-degree perpendicular corners). They were designed this way for increased visibility by the Spanish armies as a deterrent to civil unrest and the contraband trade that flourished here during their regime. Ponce is said to have the only large square on Puerto Rico designed with such a feature.

When you reach the corner of Calle Marina and Calle Duperón (Comercio), head south (to your right) for 1 block until you come to the landmark:

6. Centro Histórico

Originally built in 1922, this landmark served as the town's casino until it was closed in the mid-1960s. Today it houses government agencies and is not open to the public, although it can be admired from the outside.

After admiring the facade of the Centro Histórico, backtrack along Calle Marina (that is, walk north again) until you again come to the intersection with Calle Duperón (Comercio). On the far right (east) of this intersection loom the:

7. Banco de Santander & Scotia Bank

These two banks are both adorned with intricate stained-glass windows, Art Nouveau detailing, and dozens of unusual architectural features. The alleyway separating the two banks, Callejon Amor, is lined with African tulip trees planted to evoke the romantic spirit of a couple in love. This is also the site of public concerts that are held every Sunday between 8 and 9pm by classical orchestras or dance bands.

Proceed eastward along Calle Cristina. Behind you, you should see the red-and-black-sided fire station at Plaza Las Delicias. At the next cross street, Calle Mayor, diagonal to where you're standing, you'll see the:

8. Memorial to Don Domingo

This statue is dedicated to Don Domingo ("Cocolia") Cruz, longtime leader of Ponce's municipal band and one of the best-known musicians from Ponce. He died in 1934.

Turn left on Calle Mayor and admire:

9. Teatro la Perla

The neoclassical facade of this, the largest and most historic theater in the Caribbean, is graced by six classical columns. Depending on the time of day and the season, the lobby of this theater might be open for a quick look at the interior decoration. In late afternoons, it's also quite possible to hear rehearsals.

Continue walking northward along Calle Mayor to the first intersection (Calle Isabel). To your right stands a Moorish-inspired building known as the Casa Salazar (Salazar House), which accommodates a branch of the Puerto Rican Museum of History.

Take a Break -- Stop for an ice cream or drink at King's Ice Cream (tel. 787/843-8520), right across the street from the Parque de Bombas on the city's main square. This institution has been scooping up delicious ice cream for decades. Another option is a drink or sandwich at the Café Tomas/Café Tompy, Calle Isabel at Calle Mayor (tel. 787/840-1965). Divided into less formal and more formal sections, it is open daily from 7am to midnight.

Walk westward along Calle Isabel until you reach the edge of the previously explored Plaza Las Delicias. From the square's northeastern corner stretches:

10. El Atocha

El Atocha is the city's main shopping street. Stroll along its broad borders, noting the Spanish-inspired turn-of-the-20th-century architecture, the cast-iron benches, and the many police guards who ensure the street's tranquillity.

After your shopping, return to the Plaza Las Delicias and walk westward along its northern edge. Note that within the confines of the square is the:

11. Statue of Luis Muñoz Rivera

This statue is a memorial to Muñoz Rivera (1859-1916), one of Puerto Rico's best-known politicians. He helped Puerto Ricans become U.S. citizens after a career of political lobbying. The bronze piece was completed in 1923.

Proceeding west along the edge of the square, note the:

12. Fox-Delicias Hotel

Originally built in 1931 as a movie theater, this is now a hotel and adjacent outdoor food court. Its pink walls are excellent examples of Art Deco architecture in Puerto Rico. In crumbling disrepair, the theater was transformed into a disco during the 1960s. In 1989 the government of Spain earmarked funds for the restoration of this building to its original celluloid glamour. The cafes make this place a good stop for refreshment at the end of your stroll.

After a break, you can walk out and cross Calle Isabel, heading south. You will once again be at Plaza Las Delicias.