Since we were on a private cruise in a medium-sized SUV, our party of four were able to drive through this neighborhood in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. Old San Juan was established in 1521. Due to its military importance, both a fort to protect the harbor (Castillo San Felipe del Morro) and a fort to guard the city from land attacks (Castillo San Cristóbal) were started to be built in 1539 and 1634, respectively. The area around La Perla was established in the late 18th century as the city's slaughterhouse, outside the city walls, with informal settlements being set-up nearby for non-white the workers who worked there. By the mid-20th century, the local government viewed the area as neglected. Today, it consists of a small number of local bars and street vendors, none of which were open when we drover around in the early morning hours. The streets were narrow enough to only allow one car to pass through at a time (and too narrow for buses or shuttles)...thus most visitors park up above and walk down to the neighborhood. It does have a reputation for poverty and crime, and the local tourism board advises extreme caution when in the area. That being said, our local guide was adamant that the reputation for crime is overstated, and that it is like any other tourist area where folks have to be careful with common sense, but also a place where good food and drink can be gotten for great value.
One fun fact: the neighborhood was prominently featured in the music video for Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's hit song "Despacito". Our guide even showed us a part in the video, to compare it to what we were seeing outside. read more