Cruceta del Vigía

Cruceta del Vigía
200px View of the cross at night. The city of Ponce shines in the background below the hill. The Caribbean Sea is further to the right.
General information
Status	Open
Type	Monument
Architectural style	Modern arch style
Location	Barrio Portugues Urbano
Town or city	Ponce
Country	Puerto Rico
Coordinates
Current tenants	Patronato de Ponce
Groundbreaking	1983
Construction started	1983
Completed	1984
Opened	1984
Inaugurated	1984
Cost	$650,000
Client	Municipality of Ponce
Owner	Autonomous Municipality of Ponce
Height
Architectural	Modern arch.
Tip	110 feet (34 m)
Observatory	Yes
Dimensions
Other dimensions	70 feet across
Technical details
Structural system	Steel and Reinforced concrete
Floor count	10
Lifts/elevators	One
Design and construction
Architect	Ruben Colondres
Architecture firm	Colondres & Laboy
Structural engineer	Jose L. Irizarry
Services engineer	Ramon Montero
Civil engineer	Axel Bonilla
Quantity surveyor	Jose Raul Vazquez-Geli
Main contractor	Venegas Construction Corp.
Other information
Parking	Lighted Lot
Website
http://www.castilloserralles.org/

Cruceta del Vigía (English: The Watchman Cross) is a 100-foot-tall cross located atop Vigia Hill in Ponce, Puerto Rico, across from Museo Castillo Serrallés. It houses a tourist center at its base, a ten-story vertical tower, and a horizontal sky bridge that has panoramic views of the city of Ponce and the Caribbean Sea. Visitors can reach the skybridge via glass elevators or a staircase. Made of reinforced concrete, the cross has withstood various natural disasters, including three major hurricanes. The arms of the cross measure 70 feet. It was inaugurated in 1984.

One of many landmarks of the city of Ponce, the cross is owned by the Municipality of Ponce and is currently operated by the "Patronato de Ponce", a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and administrating several of the city's landmarks.

Historical background

View of El Vigia Cross.

The cross sits at the same spot on Vigia Hill where early Spanish settlers once looked out for merchant ships and would-be invaders, including marauding pirates. In 1801, the settlers built a much smaller cross made of two intersecting tree trunks where an observer would constantly watch the sea and the city's port, raising different flags to either notify local merchants of incoming trade ships or alert military authorities of possible threats (a replica of this wooden cross now sits behind the current monument). Originally a hut was built accompanied by a cross from where flags were raised to signal the approach of ships as well as their port of origin. This station was run by two brothers Ricardo and Alberto Lugo, they were honored with a plaque at the base of the cross in 1984. They are descendants of Alonso Fernández de Lugo last conquistador of Spain.

One of the best remembered watchmen was named Luis Castro. Nearly 200 years ago, Luis would sit atop a huge wooden cross on this hill. On the lookout for ocean vessels, it was his responsibility to determine the nationality of approaching ships. If he recognized the vessel he would raise a flag, but if a ship was thought to be carrying contraband then no flag was raised and the Spanish military would investigate. The Cruceta was built in honor of Mr. Castro and all the other watchmen who so faithfully helped protect the city during its younger years.

The Vigia Hill also served as a refugee camp for citizens during a storm on September 12, 1738, an earthquake on May 10, 1787, a tsunami on November 18, 1867, and the United States invasion on July 25, 1898.

Japanese Garden

In recent years, a Japanese Garden was built in the grounds nearby the Cruceta. The garden is located in a 2,223 square meter ground. Its purpose is to encourage spiritual peace and harmony by the means of nature and Zen music. The garden features small lakes, rivers, bonsais, and bridges.

External links

• Site dedicated to El Vigia Cross and the Serralles Castle
• http://lugocrest.homestead.com/lugocrossponce.html