Old San Juan - San José Church

(Local Name: Iglesia de San José) Those interested in following the trail of Ponce de León, the man who thought he had found the fountain of life, will want to stop in at the Iglesia de San José.( San José Church).

Dominican friars built the Iglesia de San José in 1532. The 16th C Spanish Gothic structure is the second oldest church in the Western Hemisphere. For 300 years Spanish explorer Ponce de León was buried here until his body was moved to the San Juan Cathedral in 1913. José Campeche, a Puerto Rican artist, is buried at San José Church as well.