La Fortaleza was completed in 1540 as a defense against the Carib Indians and other foreign invaders. It was occupied twice by invaders; first by the Earl of Cumberland in 1598 and then by the Dutch General Bowdoin Hendrick in 1625 when fire damaged the building. The Fortaleza eventually lost its military value and became the residence of Puerto Rican governors, a role it still maintains today. La Fortaleza is the oldest governor’s mansion still used as such in the Western Hemisphere, with more than 150 governors having lived or stayed here. The building itself has undergone many changes in its long history. The result is a blend of 16th-century military architecture with the refinements of the 19th century.