Colonial Architecture, Old San Juan
P.R. Navy
This abstract artwork layers color with pattern and texture to mirror the streets of Old San Juan and island life.
Colonial architecture in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
Colonial architecture in Old San Juan reveals centuries of history through timeless facades, wrought-iron balconies, and thick stone walls, where Spanish influence and Caribbean climate come together.
P.R. Navy
This abstract artwork layers color with pattern and texture to mirror the streets of Old San Juan and island life.
About the Artists
Carlos Davilla Rinaldi
Carlos Davila Rinaldi is a mid-career painter and sculptor living and working in Puerto Rico. Born on the island, his early years were shaped by constant travel after his family relocated to Japan during his father’s service with the United States Air Force. Following years of living throughout the Far East and the continental United States, his family returned to Puerto Rico, where he completed high school before earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from DePauw University in Indiana in 1980. After graduating, he returned to Puerto Rico, where he has remained ever since, developing a prolific artistic practice recognized both locally and internationally. Working across both abstract and figurative styles, his work explores gesture, movement, color, and social commentary. While his abstract paintings are known for their energetic compositions and layered visual language.
Orlando Mergal
Orlando Mergal is a landscape and fine art photographer based in Puerto Rico whose work captures the island’s rich natural beauty, including Old San Juan, El Yunque Rainforest, tropical beaches, and lush Caribbean landscapes. Deeply inspired by his surroundings, his photography reflects a passion for documenting the atmosphere, color, and spirit of Puerto Rico through thoughtful composition and light. A lifelong learner and dedicated image-maker, he discovered his passion for photography in 1984 after studying through the New York Institute of Photography. Since then, he has continued to refine his craft, often exploring the island with cameras in hand in pursuit of meaningful and visually striking moments that celebrate the beauty of everyday life and nature.
Colonial Architecture, Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
Old San Juan's colonial architecture spans five centuries of Spanish and Caribbean building tradition, characterized by thick lime-mortar masonry walls designed to withstand both hurricane winds and cannon fire, paired with graceful wrought-iron balconies draped in tropical vegetation. Each block of the seven-square-block historic district reveals a different layer of the city's past, from 16th-century fortifications to 19th-century bourgeois townhouses, all unified by the rhythmic play of color, texture, and tropical light.
To visit this location or schedule a tour please stop by Rio Mar's concierge desk in the lobby.