Plaza de Armas, San Juan

What was once a military drill ground became the city's living room. The Plaza de Armas, on San José Street between Fortaleza and San Francisco, dates to the 16th century — the founding nucleus from which San Juan's colonial city grew outward. A round fountain with four statues representing the seasons anchors its center. The San Juan City Hall and the Puerto Rico Department of State Building face it. The name stuck; the purpose changed entirely.