| View from the top of the lighthouse | |
| Location | Fajardo, Puerto Rico |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | |
| Year first lit | 1818 |
| Automated | 1975 |
| Foundation | Stone[1] |
| Construction | Stone |
| Tower shape | Cylindrical |
| Markings / pattern | White with black around the base and a black lantern |
| Height | 45 feet (14 m)[1] |
| Original lens | Third order Fresnel[1] |
| ARLHS number | PUR-021 |
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Faro de las Cabezas de San Juan
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| Architectural style: | Neoclassic |
| Governing body: | Puerto Rico Conservation Trust [3] |
| MPS: | Lighthouse System of Puerto Rico TR |
| NRHP Reference#: | 81000692[2] |
| Added to NRHP: | October 22, 1981 |
Cape San Juan Light (Faro de Las Cabezas de San Juan) is a historic lighthouse located on the northeastern part of the highest point of Cape San Juan in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. The lighthouse was constructed in 1880 and was officially lit on May 2, 1882. The original illuminating apparatus, not changed until after 1898, had an 18-mile (29 km) range and displayed a fixed white light which every three minutes flashed red.
The lighthouse owned by the Puerto Rico Conservation Trust is part of the Las Cabezas de San Juan natural reserve. The 316-acre (1.28 km2) reserve includes a bioluminescence bay, rare flora and fauna, various trails and boardwalks, and scientific research center. Despite its small size, the reserve shelters seven different ecological systems, including beaches, lagoons, dry forest, coral reefs and mangroves.
In 1898, the lighthouse played a major role in the Battle of Fajardo during the Puerto Rican Campaign of the Spanish-American War. The lighthouse was listed in the National Register of Historic Places by the United States government on October 22, 1981.
In 2001, under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act, it became the first lighthouse to be transferred to a non-governmental organization in Puerto Rico.[3]
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