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Wide shot footage of the La Fortaleza, the governor's mansionÌýin Puerto Rico, 1969. La Fortaleza, also known as the Palacio de Santa Catalina (Saint Catherine's Palace), is the official residence and workplace of the governor of Puerto Rico. Located in the historical district of Old San Juan in the capital municipality of San Juan, it has served as the governor’s residence since the 16th century, making it the oldest executive mansion in continuous use in the New World. Built from 1533 to 1540 by orders of King Charles I of Spain, the structure was the first fortification constructed by the Spanish on San Juan Islet to defend San Juan Bay, the harbor of Old San Juan. La fortaleza, alongside El Morro, San Cristóbal, El Cañuelo, and other forts part of the Walls of Old San Juan, protected strategically and militarily important Puerto Rico, or La Llave de las Indias (The Key to the Indies), from invasion by competing world powers and harassment by privateers and pirates during the Age of Sail. It was designated a World Heritage Site in 1983.