San German
Second-oldest city, 'Founder of Towns'—half of Puerto Rico was San Germán partition in 1514. Porta Coeli (17th c.) oldest Western Hemisphere church still standing; Inter American University first accredited outside continental US.
San Germán exists as Puerto Rico's second city—literally, the island's second-oldest settlement after San Juan—and as the mother of municipalities. In 1514, the Spanish Crown divided Puerto Rico into two partitions: San Juan's territory and San Germán's, separated by the Camuy River north and the Jacaguas River south. Half the island began here. The 'Founder of Towns' nickname persists because so many municipalities eventually spun off from San Germán's original boundaries.
The current city isn't where it started. French corsairs pillaged the original 1511 coastal settlement in 1528, 1538, and 1554. In 1570, survivors moved to the hills and founded Nueva Villa de Salamanca on the Guanajibo River; eventually the new settlement reclaimed the old name. What they built on defensible high ground became the San Germán Historic District preserved today.
Porta Coeli stands as the visible inheritance. The 'Gate of Heaven' church, built in the 17th century, ranks among the oldest in the Western Hemisphere—one of the few Gothic-style structures in the New World. Restored by the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, it now serves as a museum of religious art with Mexican colonial paintings and 18th-19th century wood statuary.
Education became San Germán's modern identity. The Polytechnic Institute, founded in 1912 by Reverend J. William Harris, evolved into Inter American University. In 1944, it became the first four-year liberal arts college outside the continental United States accredited by the Middle States Association. Today's enrollment approaches 44,000 students—Puerto Rico's largest private university. By 2026, San Germán tests whether being second-oldest and first-accredited sustains institutional weight, or whether history becomes heritage without economic engine.