Cape San Juan Light

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.

Front of the lighthouse

Cape San Juan Light

View from the top of the lighthouse
Location	Fajardo, Puerto Rico
Coordinates	18°22′52.″N 65°37′5.7″W
Tower
Foundation	stone base[1]
Construction	stone
Automated	1975
Height	45 feet (14 m)[1]
Shape	cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern
Markings	white tower with black band at the base, black lantern
Heritage	National Register of Historic Places listed place
Light
First lit	1882
Focal height	79 m (259 ft)
Lens	Third order Fresnel[1]
Range	26 nmi (48 km; 30 mi)
Characteristic	Fl W 15s
Faro de las Cabezas de San Juan
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Architectural style	Neoclassic
MPS	Lighthouse System of Puerto Rico TR
NRHP reference No.	81000692[2]
Added to NRHP	October 22, 1981

The lighthouse owned by the Puerto Rico Conservation Trust is part of the Las Cabezas de San Juan Nature Reserve.[3] The 316-acre (128 ha) reserve includes a bioluminescence bay, rare flora and fauna, various trails and boardwalks, and a 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.[4]