Versión español

Punta Borinquen lighthouse

The Borinquen Point lighthouse is located in Aguadilla, near PR Route 107 on the former Ramey Naval Base. This fourth-order lighthouse was built in 1889 as part of the system of lighthouses ordered by the Spanish Crown and consists of an octagonal tower and a rectangular living area. Both were built of stone and brick and were painted red with white trim. In 1918, an earthquake affected the northwest region of the island, destroying many buildings and homes, including the Borinquen Point lighthouse. The ruins of the old lighthouse remain on the site where it was originally built.

The U.S. Coast Guard built a new lighthouse in 1922 on a high, prominent, nearby site. The new structure was built of reinforced concrete and the tower was separate from the living quarters. However, the U.S. authorities decided to reproduce many of the decorative details from the Spanish neo-classical style of the old structure. The tower is cylindrical and the lantern has no exterior cover like those of the traditional lighthouses. An automatic illumination system was installed in 1976.

The Borinquen Point lighthouse, as well as those of Mona, Cabo Rojo and Rincón, guide north-south navigation in the Mona Passage, the strait that separates Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

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

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

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