Santurce - Ballaja Barracks and Museum of the Americas

(Local Name: Cuartel de Ballaja and Museo de las Américas) Up to 1,000 Spanish troops and their families once lived in the Cuartel de Ballaja (Ballaja Barracks). Construction began in 1854 and the main building was completed in 1863. A chapel was added in 1881. The building was the last and largest building to be erected by the Spanish in the New World, and featured a central courtyard, prison cells and dining rooms. The U.S. used Cuartel de Ballaja to house its Infantry, and in 1943 it was converted into a medical facility. Presently, the building houses the Museum of the Americas, which features changing exhibits.