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Ruins of Guánica lighthouse

The Guánica lighthouse is located on a cliff at the entrance to Guánica Bay along PR Route 333. It was built in 1892 to light the entrance to the port and served as an intermediate lighthouse between those of Cabo Rojo and Caja de Muertos. It was from here that the U.S. squadron that entered the island on July 25, 1898, was sighted during the Spanish-American War.

The sixth-order lighthouse illuminates the port with a white light visible for eight miles. Its structure consists of a rectangular building in neo-classical style with an octagonal tower in the center that measures 33 feet in height. The upper part of the tower is surrounded by a forged iron balustrade and the façade is covered in gray stucco.

Today, the lighthouse is not in operation and is in a state of deterioration. However, some of its elements have been preserved, such as the balata wood beams, the white and gray marble tiles, some parts of the kitchen, the window frames, a cistern and a well.

Adapted by the PROE Editorial Group
Original source: Catalog of properties, National Register of Historic Sites, State Office of Historic Conservation, Office of the Governor, 1995.

References

The Lighthouse System of Puerto Rico, 1846-1979. Oficina Estatal de Conservación Histórica, Oficina del Gobernador 1995.

Sánchez Terry, Miguel Angel. Los faros españoles de ultramar, Madrid: Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transporte, Centro de Publicaciones, 1992.