Exploring the Lighthouse of El Morro in San Felipe: Professional Practice and Academic Collaboration for the Conservation of Immovable Cultural Heritage in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

Academic report Intervención ISSN 2448-5934 ENERO-JUNIO 2024 JANUARY-JUNE 2024 OJS Índice / Contents Exploring the Lighthouse of El Morro in San Felipe: Professional Practice and Academic Collaboration for the Conservation of Immovable Cultural Heritage in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico Ir a la versión en español DOI: 10.30763/Intervencion.297.v1n29.76.2024 • YEAR 15, ISSUE NO. 29: 211-233 Submitted: 15.10.2023 • Accepted: 15.04.2024 • Published: 31.07.2024 Sarahí Soriano Orozco Rodrigo Sáinz Lara Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores (sre), Dirección de Patrimonio Mundial, Consulado de México en Salt Lake City, Utah Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (inah), Mexico orcid: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-4764-6682 orcid: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-2002-8161 Translated by Lucienne Marmasse ABSTRACT This work describes the conservation practice carried out in the Lighthouse in the El Morro Castle in San Felipe, Old San Juan, Puerto Rico; located in a 16th century fortification that went through two phases of construction, whose different mater ials now present deterioration specific to coastal environments: humidity, salinity, and wind erosion. As a building listed in the World Heritage Sites (whs, unesco), coordination between local authorities and the US National Park Service (nps) is crucial for the conservation and management of the Lighthouse in the El Morro Castle in San Felipe. Moreover, professional practices between academic institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean in the field of conservation and restoration of immovable cultural property are essential to deepen the knowledge and skills of professionals; however, improvements in the availability of resources and time are necessary to maximize their effectiveness. Exploring the El Morro Lighthouse in San Felipe: Professional Practice and Academic Collaboration… CONVOCATORIA 2024 CALL FOR PAPERS 2024 211 Academic report Intervención ISSN 2448-5934 KEYWORDS conservation, characterization, assesment, coastal heritage, maritime infrastructure, Old San Juan, Puerto Rico ENERO-JUNIO 2024 JANUARY-JUNE 2024 OJS Índice / Contents INTRODUCTION n 2019, the University of Puerto Rico (upr) and the National Park Service (nps, USA), in collaboration with the National School of Conservation, Restoration and Museography “Manuel del Castillo Negrete” (encrym, Mexico), joined forces to design a conservation plan for the Lighthouse in the El Morro Castle in San Felipe, Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. This proposal was developed over a fortnight as part of the professional practices for the master’s degree in Restoration and Conservation of Immovable Cultural Property at encrym. The objectives of this activity focused on drafting a report that characterized, diagnosed, and surveyed the building, so that it can be included in the castle’s documentation. The Lighthouse is an iconic part of the coastal landscape, which relates the use and evolution of historical fortifications systems in the Caribbean. It stands out as a disruptive visual element, sparking the visitors’ curiosity. This project’s importance was not limited to merely documenting the origin and historicity, but also evaluating its structural stability, ensuring safety for the rangers1 and all those who pass through the area, given the climate and seismic phenomena it is exposed to. The project followed a comprehensive methodology of conservation and restoration of immovable heritage assets, based on normative documents of international organisms such as the International Council on Monuments and Sites (icomos), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (unesco) and the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (iccrom).2 The work-plan addressed aspects of management, theory, science, technology, archival research, and the building’s historical and socio-cultural background. Furthermore, it also included a detailed analysis of the morpholo I Rangers are National Park Service employees who work in national parks and other protected areas. Their main purpose consists in protecting and preserving the environment, wildlife, and cultural resources. They also offer services of interpretation and environmental education to visitors, patrol to guarantee the safety and fulfillment of regulations, and take part in land management and conservation activities (Department of the Interior, 2024). 2 Among the methodologies used are The Conservation Plan (1985), the Burra Charter (1988), Management Guidelines for World Heritage Sites (2003), an adapt ation of Guide to Historical Urban Landscapes (2011) and Organized Visual Observation (2014) (ovo: organized visual observation) by Corrado Pedelì. 1 Exploring the El Morro Lighthouse in San Felipe: Professional Practice and Academic Collaboration… CONVOCATORIA 2024 CALL FOR PAPERS 2024 212 Academic report Intervención ISSN 2448-5934 ENERO-JUNIO 2024 JANUARY-JUNE 2024 OJS Índice / Contents gical and typological features of the Lighthouse, together with the construction system in its historical stages, the types of materials used, the damage observed, and previous interventions.3 Taking the latter into consideration, as well as the different phases of construction, and by using documentary information, we distinguished the innate damage to the building, intrinsic to its manufacture, from that resulting from its location in a coastal, highly seismic setting, or from its use and maintenance. The final report concluded with recommendations for conservation as well as actions for restoration and maintenance in the short—, mid—, and long-term. Moreover, further studies4 were suggested to improve the understanding of agents of deterioration and to characterize the original materials more thoroughly. We outline the work process which entailed the diagnosis to carry out the intervention of this structure, below. CONVERSATIONS WITH THE LIGHTHOUSE AND ITS SURROUNDINGS Characterization and assessment The El Morro Castle in San Felipe is a historical fort in the north of Puerto Rico, which is part of the defense system of the bay of Old San Juan, together with the San Cristobal Fort and its walls, on which construction began in 1766. This site was inscribed on the unesco list of World Heritage Sites (whs) in 1983 as part of La Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Site, in Puerto Rico. This designation was based on criterion vi,5 for its colonial military architecture in America and its role in the defense of San Juan between the 16th and 20th centuries (World Heritage Centre, 2024). Nowadays only those elements closest to the coast remain, including the northern wall, both forts, the governor’s mansion and San Juan gate (Figure 1). In addition, on the northeastern bastion of the San Felipe fort, on a promontory (morro) to the east of the bay, there is a lighthouse. Some of these interventions include: replacing wind-a (...truncated)