Muskets, Cannon and Soldiers of Great Stature

“They were as Gods… Men would tremble and bow as they marched by, never to dare and stare them in the eye”

Yeah, I said that.

I’ve talked about some of my great days in Puerto Rico, but this one stands out as a crown jewel. It was a genuine privilege to tag along and shoot without distraction, the day’s activities.

This year’s 1797 Commemoration of the British Siege and Defense of (Old) San Juan was perfect. Though the event covered 3 days- April 25th-28th, we were only there for Friday’s activities. The first reenactment took place out near Manati, on the grounds of Hacienda La Esperanza. This location has access to the coast making for a very private affair.

While on the grounds of the Hacienda, we did take a bunch of shots I’ll feature in a future post as well as a separate one on the town of Manati.

Because Friday is a work day, many of the participants would not be available until the weekend. But not to fret. The Polish Army was there in force! Yes, they had made the trip to Puerto Rico from Poland (as they did last year). What a contrast PR must be to their homeland.

There were even a few American Troops from Massachusetts to aid the Spanish.

Getting there-

It took 2 hours to get from our place on the south side of the island to the grounds of the Hacienda. In fact, we got there about 10:30AM, just as the re- enactors were getting off the bus from San Juan. There was also a TV crew from WAPA TV, channel 4 who shot a short segment on the event.

It was quite comical.

We had scouted this location earlier since Hacienda La Esperanza was on my ‘long list’ of places to shoot. As a historical site that caters to tours (with reservations) and an extensive restoration effort, you would think there would be a few signs to point the way. In a word, NOPE!

If you know where to look, it’s not hard to find. I had reference material from the US Department of the Interior to work from.

If you are coming out Highway 22 from San Juan, you will get off onto Highway 149 and take it into Manati. From 149, take Highway 2 west, to Highway 685 heading north. Highway 685 will take you under Highway 22 since there is no exit off or onto 685 from 22. Go figure. Highway 685 winds through several neighborhoods before you come to Highway 616 going west again. This will eventually take you to the grounds of Hacienda La Esperanza. There is a small, manned guard shack off the main parking lot where you sign in. The coast is about 1/4 mile from there.

It was a ‘perfect weather day’ with a nice sea breeze and fluffy white clouds filling the sky.

After everyone had collected up their gear, we headed over to several trucks for a short ride to the coast. The place was empty except for a few local fisherman who probably had no clue what we were about to do.

The WAPA TV production crew never get featured since everything they do is ‘behind the scenes’. I got them to pause at the end of the shoot, just long enough to take a shot before they headed off. This piece was being done for Entre Nosotras, ‘Between Us’ by the character, ‘Chabelo’. A special thanks to the producer- Ruben Guardiola and cameraman Eliezr Alejandro for being such good sports. I do not know if it ever aired.

Battle of Cangrejos

After a few more ‘photo-ops’ for family and friends and a few military drills, the ‘Battle of Cangrejos’ was put into play.

Over by the main cannon, we were mostly sheltered from the sun by coconut palms, Sea grape stands and Noni growing wild. All 3 are a common sight down by the shoreline, here in PR. As the battle progressed, the smoke from the long guns and cannon momentarily covered the ground. Hence the term-
‘Fog of War’.

When the cannon let loose, you felt it thump you in the chest.

The one image where I photoshopped in the cannon ball shows 2 participants covering their ears. You would too! Once the battle turned to ‘close quarters’, the bayonets and swords came out. There was even one Spaniard with a big axe, hacking his way through the Polish invaders.

OK, not really, but you get the idea.

These guys do take their fun seriously! Afterwards, there were lots of handshakes and a brief rest period before jumping back into the trucks.

We used the return to Hacienda La Esperanza to run around shooting the old mill facilities. Like I say, I’ll feature this site in another post real soon. After that, we headed for the car and Old San Juan for the late evening event.

La Rogativa- The great ‘Prayer Procession’

As the legend goes, a prayer procession at night, with candles and torches, through the streets of San Juan, by women, children and clergy, spooked the British Navy. They took it to mean reinforcements had come to help the Spanish military, hold up in the fort. All they could see from their ships were streams of torches making their way through town. The prayer procession lasted all night.

This rattled the British so badly, they re-boarded their ships and headed away under full sail.

There is a beautiful statue depicting the event, in a small park above the old Gate of San Juan. This is where most of the civilian reenactors gathered and where the main cannon had been set up for the night’s events.

The balance of the troops were along the outside wall staging a skirmish between the Brits, Poles, Americans and Spanish.

Though I got a pretty good shot of the guys with the cannon, I did not get a shot of the muzzle flash. The ignition delay is such that I need a new game plan. I know what I need to get it, next time.

Up by the little park where they were staging the Prayer Procession, there was enough street light and torch light to get shots without a flash. I hate using flash for these kinds of images. I think it ruins the ‘feel’ of it. The last opportunity for ‘good light’ was after the formal presentation on the San Juan Dock, when they proceed to march along the outside wall to their final destination, La Princesa, past the Fuente Raices fountain. This was the culmination of a most outstanding experience!

With the day’s events behind us, we headed home.

I swear, if you enjoy shooting classic architecture from a rustic period, this is the shoot of a life time… A perfect time to visit Old San Juan.

We are entering the ‘low season’ so there are a lot less tourists to contend with. And no cruise ships either. Yes, it was somewhat hot, but NOT miserable. After sunset, a nice breeze kicks in and cools everything off.

These guys make it worth coming into Old San Juan to shoot.