The Devil's Sentry Box (Garita del Diablo) - Fort San Cristóbal, San Juan, Puerto Rico

San Juan, Puerto Rico is protected by two forts, El Morro and San Cristóbal.  Both forts feature sentry boxes or turrets that allowed soldiers to monitor traffic coming in from the Caribbean.  However, one particular sentry box has earned a bad reputation over the years.  A reputation for sending soldiers into the hereafter, never to be seen again.

Garita del Diablo or The Devil's Sentry Box at Fort San Cristóbal in San Juan, Puerto Rico

The sentry box in question has been responsible for the disappearance of three individual soldiers over the years.  They would report to the sentry box post in the evening, however when morning arrived, they were no where to be found.  Some witness claimed to have seen a flash of light at the sentry box in the night.  This is the moment that many believe the soldiers disappear.  Many believe that these soldiers were taken by the Devil himself, earning the turret the title of garita del Diablo or The Devil's Sentry Box.

The Devil's Sentry Box (Garita del Diablo) - Fort San Cristóbal, San Juan, Puerto

Some dispel the phenomenon as a hoax.  Some say that one of the soldiers was found years later living nearby raising a family.  They say he staged his disappearance in the box so that he could leave the military and live a family life.  However, if this were so, then what about the other two?

The Devil's Sentry Box (Garita del Diablo) - Fort San Cristóbal, San Juan, Puerto

There are those who still believe that the sentry is haunted or possessed by the Devil.  The Puerto Rican military must have believed as well, because at one point the soldiers feared going into the box.  They were afraid the spirits would get them if the went to their post and the military abandoned the structure as a post.

The Devil's Sentry Box can be seen in the foreground on the left.  In the distance lies the fort El Castillo San Felipe del Morro or EL Morro as it is commonly known.

The forts are abandoned today, but are open to the public.  So if you are visiting San Juan and explore Fort San Cristóbal, you may want to think twice about entering el garita del Diablo.

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European Ghosts and Hauntings