ABSTRACT
The Dutch 1625 incursion forced a new urban beginning for San Juan. Political allegiances transformed, as did perceptions regarding the role colonies played in an empire that controlled territories around the globe. Risks increased when enemies of Spain settled the neighboring islands of St Croix, Antigua, Montserrat and Guadeloupe. When the eastern section of the defensive wall was erected the ideal of a peaceful open center was forcefully abandoned, and the city transformed from a ciudad de la paz into a ciudad de la guerra . Construction of a stone perimeter shaped a secluded enclave dividing the islet into urban and suburban sectors. Construction of the wall initiated San Juan’s Baroque Period which ended with a bang in 1812 when the Antiguo Régimen (Ancien Regime), the old political and social order, came crashing down. During this stage the empire was ruled by two dynasties, the Habsburgs (Austrias) and Borbóns. Roughly coinciding with the European Baroque, it is an appropriate term to use for sanjuanero urban and architectural ideals that emulated this much-admired style.
