Tile from La Fortaleza

Grade Range: K-12
Resource Type(s): Artifacts, Primary Sources
Date Posted: 9/17/2009

This tile is from La Fortaleza, a military and government complex in San Juan built to defend the city from naval attacks. Construction began in 1533 and was finished in 1540. This tile resembles the Spanish ceramic style of Talavera, a tile factory established in the 16th century near the city of Toledo, Spain. The tiles produced in Spain became widely used and copied throughout the Spanish colonies.