Faro Los Morrillos de Cabo Rojo, Historic lighthouse on limestone cliffs in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico.
Faro Los Morrillos de Cabo Rojo is a neoclassical stone lighthouse at the southwestern tip of Puerto Rico, sitting on white limestone cliffs that fall steeply to the Caribbean Sea below. The tower stands about 12 meters tall and is connected to a set of keeper buildings that remain on the grounds.
Spanish authorities built the lighthouse in 1882 to help ships navigate the Mona Passage, a stretch of water between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean known for its strong currents. Over time the light was automated, the keepers left, and the building sat empty before eventually being restored.
The name Los Morrillos refers to the rocky hilltops on which the lighthouse stands, a local term rooted in the geography of this southwestern coastal area. Visitors can still walk through the old keeper quarters next to the tower, giving a sense of how isolated daily life once was here.
The path from the parking area to the tower is easy to follow, though the terrain near the cliff edges can be uneven and deserves care. Going earlier in the day tends to be more comfortable given the heat and sun exposure on this open coastal site.
The lens inside the tower was made by the French firm Sautter Lemonnier and is a glass optical system mounted in a cast iron and copper lantern. This type of lens was a precision tool of its era and is rarely found still in place at its original site.
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