Ponce Historical City Tour
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Trip Type: Historical & Heritage Tours
Duration: 10 hours
Come on a day trip to the cultural city of Ponce- home to art museums, prehistoric sites, and vibrant gardens. After picking you up from your San Juan hotel, you will travel to Ponce and be lead around the historic city by a professional guide. This tour includes admission to several local attractions and will last approximately 10 hours. There are a maximum of 15 people permitted on this tour.
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Come on a day trip to the cultural city of Ponce- home to art museums, prehistoric sites, and vibrant gardens. After picking you up from your San Juan hotel, you will travel to Ponce and be lead around the historic city by a professional guide. This tour includes admission to several local attractions and will last approximately 10 hours. There are a maximum of 15 people permitted on this tour.
Tibes Ceremonial Indian Park
This ancient Indian site is the oldest cemetery uncovered to date in the Antilles. This prehistoric site dates back to 400 AD and it holds twelve stone structures, including ceremonial plazas and ball courts (nine of which are open to the public today). As a result of archeological-astronomical investigations conducted by archaeologist Osvaldo García Goyco, "there is evidence that some of the plazas are orientated in relation to the equinox and solstice of the four seasons of the year", “this makes the Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Center the oldest astronomical observatory in the Antilles" (García Goyco).
Plaza las Delicias
Right at the very Plaza is the century old Parque de Bombas, the famous red and black firehouse, honoring the city colors. Our Lady of Guadalupe Cathedral stands behind it. This delightful Plaza is adorned by beautiful lion fountains, gardens and the monuments honoring the noble and the brave.
The Ponce Museum of Art
This superb art museum is a world classs museum and, the largest in the Caribbean, holds over 5,000 works encompassing the finest collections of European and Latin American art in the region, with works dating back 500 years, and a growing collection of contemporary art. Iconic pieces include Fredrick Lord Leighton’s gorgeous “Flaming June” and “Brushstrokes in Flight,” a 28-foot high painted metal sculpture by Roy Lichtenstein that marks the main entrance. The museum has an impressive collection of over 3,000 pieces that range from the 14th to the 20th Century, Italian Baroque, British Pre-Raphaelite, Spanish Golden Age and contemporary Latin-American Art.
“Ponce is Ponce and the rest (of the island) is parking” is a famous saying of the Ponce people that shows pride for their culture, history and traditions. This town, also known as “The Pearl of the South” and “The Noble City” was named after its founder Juan Ponce de León y Loaiza, great-grandson of the famous conquistador Juan Ponce de León. Originally established in 1692, is the second largest city on the Island and a major contributor to the political, social, economic and cultural development of Puerto Rico. The beautiful downtown Plaza is a must see for visitors. Our Lady of Guadalupe Cathedral and the red and black century old wooden firehouse are part of this historical Plaza. The beautiful neoclassical, Spanish Revival facades and the European touch its only a little bit of this city’s charm.
This ancient Indian site is the oldest cemetery uncovered to date in the Antilles. This prehistoric site dates back to 400 AD and it holds twelve stone structures, including ceremonial plazas and ball courts (nine of which are open to the public today). As a result of archeological-astronomical investigations conducted by archaeologist Osvaldo García Goyco, "there is evidence that some of the plazas are orientated in relation to the equinox and solstice of the four seasons of the year", “this makes the Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Center the oldest astronomical observatory in the Antilles" (García Goyco).
Plaza las Delicias
Right at the very Plaza is the century old Parque de Bombas, the famous red and black firehouse, honoring the city colors. Our Lady of Guadalupe Cathedral stands behind it. This delightful Plaza is adorned by beautiful lion fountains, gardens and the monuments honoring the noble and the brave.
The Ponce Museum of Art
This superb art museum is a world classs museum and, the largest in the Caribbean, holds over 5,000 works encompassing the finest collections of European and Latin American art in the region, with works dating back 500 years, and a growing collection of contemporary art. Iconic pieces include Fredrick Lord Leighton’s gorgeous “Flaming June” and “Brushstrokes in Flight,” a 28-foot high painted metal sculpture by Roy Lichtenstein that marks the main entrance. The museum has an impressive collection of over 3,000 pieces that range from the 14th to the 20th Century, Italian Baroque, British Pre-Raphaelite, Spanish Golden Age and contemporary Latin-American Art.
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