The sometimes steeply sloping streets of Old San Juan are paved with blue cobblestones. Rather than being cut from stone or cast as bricks, as was the usual practice, the cobblestones found in Old San Juan are an ingenious re-use of slag from Spain’s iron foundries. Slag is the waste when iron is refined and was usually just piled into huge slagheaps at foundries. But cast into blocks, the material served as ballast in sugar-carrying ships in the 16th century, and this 500 year old recycling effort produced a durable material for paving the streets of Old San Juan. The Spanish word for these pavers is "adoquines," and most of the streets in Old San Juan are still paved in this material.
The original use of the cobblestones was as ballast in ships taking gold bullion bars from the New World to Spain. It stands to reason that, once the gold was exhausted, they likely were used in sugar-carrying ships.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful story but it's not true! There were ordered by San Juan and paid for from Liverpool from the brothers Sutherland. May , certified tourguide
DeleteThank you, May! What is the name of your tour company?
DeleteMay is correct. I took a tour with a historical building architect. He confirmed this.
DeleteI'm getting a bit confused. I just read somewhere else that cobblestones are really riverbed stones smoothed and rounded by the flow of water and come in naturally different shapes and sizes. They were used to pave streets, in their original shape.
ReplyDeleteI also read that ship ballasts were slag, the by-product of ironworks factories that were cut into bricks to easily load as ballast. So, I surmise that the "cobblestones" in San Juan, Puerto Rico are really bricks or pavers. Yet,
landscapers and lots of others refer to man-made bricks as cobblestone.
Also, I find it strange that someone thinks that the slag bricks were used as ballast at the same time heavy gold was being shipped. Wasn't ballast used when ships were fairly empty?
Soo
Right , read above. ;)
DeleteThe ship we’re loaded with cobblestones as ballast when they left Spain and used for the paving of roads,
DeleteThe ships had to return to Spain with merchandise whether it be gold,sugar cane,spices or other commodities which acted as their return ballast.
I have 1 blue cobblestone from a street in San Juan. My wife and I went there on our honeymoon. I did not get it at that time, however I did try, lol. A man that I met a few years later told me that he live in San Juan and he would get me one... I, of course, thought he was full of it! 6 weeks later, he handed me an actual paver from the street he lives on! I was completely BLOWN AWAY!!! I stare at it every night and wonder where the hell can I get more? It's not flashy or fancy and it's faded and chipped and still has "mortar" on it.... I want more of this beautiful stone! He can't bring me what I want, lol, but I want more......
ReplyDeleteVery sad to here this, hoping to see this blue cobblestone street soon. If its gone then there is no reason for me to visit. STOP ROBBING THIS HISTORY.
DeleteIt may be "cool" to have a piece of Puerto Rican history, but it takes away from many others enjoying it and appreciating its antiquity in the original location. Whether you paid for it or not, that encourages others to steal pieces of their country's (or commonwealth's) "life", slowly chipping away at its past. That is sad. And now with Puerto Rico trying to recover from the massive devastation caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, they need all the help they can get.
ReplyDeletePlease re-visit one of the comments from a certified San Juan tour guide who knows:
ReplyDeletePetersMarch 28, 2017 at 5:10 PM
A beautiful story but it's not true! There were ordered by San Juan and paid for from Liverpool from the brothers Sutherland. May , certified tourguide
A mind blowing article is provided here. And it is written with great skill and the words directly explain the thought of author.
ReplyDeletepool deck Wellington
What a nice suprise to receive a message almost two years later after sharing my passion for Puerto Rico! I work as a freelance tour guide and do private and group tours. More information http://www.maypeters.com And yes, it's true, Puerto Rico needs all the help after hurricane María. So we're happy to receive you!
ReplyDeleteI pray you are well in this strange time. Thank you again for sharing your firsthand knowledge of Puerto Rico!
DeleteMaypeters.com is no longer active, bummer
DeleteI always thought they were ballast on Dutch ships
ReplyDeleteYes, I had too! But May would know as she seems to be the sort of guide to verify her facts and be accurate when taking tours around.
DeleteAlso, think about it. Those ships would still need the ballast when they go back home!
How to get to Borgata by Bus, From $1 to $50 (with no
ReplyDeleteDirections to Borgata 목포 출장샵 from $1 to $50 (with no fees) · 당진 출장마사지 Open 안산 출장샵 (1-7 days a week); Pay by phone · 김해 출장안마 The following transit lines have routes that pass 하남 출장샵 near Borgata.
While they may be from Spain they are not 16thC as 'scoria bricks' as these are, were not invented till the late 19thC. In Middlesbrough, in Yorkshire in England. As molten slag, or scoria, they were liquid cast into moulds and not afterwards cut. In 1912 35% of the production in Middlesbrough was exported to the Caribbean and it seems most likely they are therefore from Middlesbrough. It's possible that the ironworks of Spain also started to make, and export these bricks so they might be from there.
ReplyDelete