El Vigía

Ponce


It doesn’t really compare with the hilltop cross in Rio de Janeiro, but the 100ft reinforced-concrete Cruceta del Vigía looking over Ponce is one of the city’s more reliable points of orientation and offers a cracking view from its upper levels. During the 19th century the site was used by lookouts for the Spanish Crown, watching for signs of smuggling along the coast. Today it shares grounds with a Japanese garden, included in the admission price.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Ponce attractions

1. Museo Castillo Serrallés

0.01 MILES

On the same property as the mammoth El Vigía, Museo Castillo Serrallés was the home of Ponce’s rum dynasty, the Serrallés family. Guides lead bilingual…

3. Casa Wiechers-Villaronga

0.51 MILES

Perhaps the most grand of Ponce’s historical homes, this mansion was designed by Paris-educated ponceño architect Alfredo Wiechers. The carefully…

4. Catedral Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe

0.62 MILES

The twin bell towers of this striking cathedral and local landmark cast an impression of noble piety over Ponce's Plaza Las Delicias. The cathedral…

5. Parque de Bombas

0.62 MILES

Ponceños (people from Ponce) claim that the eye-popping Parque de Bombas is Puerto Rico’s most frequently photographed building, which is not too hard to…

6. Plaza Las Delicias

0.63 MILES

Within this elegant square you’ll discover Ponce's heart as well as two of the city’s landmark buildings, Parque de Bombas and Catedral Nuestra Señora…

7. Fuente de los Leones

0.65 MILES

A lovely fountain in the middle of the Plaza Las Delicias – a survivor from the 1939 World Fair.

8. Casa Alcaldía

0.67 MILES

Facing the southern side of Plaza Las Delicias, Ponce’s city hall was built in the 1840s. The last public hanging on the island happened in its courtyard,…