RUINAS DE CAPARRA

Designated a historic site in 1994, the Ruinas de Caparra contain the remains of the island's earliest capital, the oldest known European settlement in the United States. It was during preliminary excavations in 1936 that the historic tapia structure that served as the residence of Ponce de León during the Renaissance was discovered. The site is home to the Museo de la Conquista y Colonizaciòn; this small museum traces the conquest of Boricua Island by settlers since 1508 and the colonization of the territory.