Name and Location

The Punta Mulas Light, also known as Faro de Punta Mulas, is a historic lighthouse located on the northern shore of Vieques Island, Puerto Rico. It is situated at Calle Morropo (5H34+QFP), Isabel Segunda, Vieques, Puerto Rico 00765, with coordinates 18.1544867 N, –65.4437803 W.

2. Construction and History

The Punta Mulas Light was erected in 1896 under Spanish colonial administration. It is a late-19th-century lighthouse built by the Spanish Engineer Corps using prefabricated iron components shipped from mainland Spain. The structure was commissioned by the Spanish Crown and has been an active aid to navigation since its construction.

3. Architecture and Materials

The Punta Mulas Light features a Spanish-colonial style design, combining a masonry keeper's dwelling with an attached cast-iron tower. The structure is one-story rectangular with a masonry (stuccoed brick) dwelling supporting an octagonal cast-iron lantern tower. The tower stands approximately 12 meters above the house roof, and the overall structure rises to about 15 meters above ground.

4. Light and Navigation

The Punta Mulas Light is managed by the U.S. Coast Guard (Light List number PR-100) and emits a white flash every six seconds. The focal plane is approximately 15 meters above mean sea level, with a range listed at roughly 14 nautical miles. The lighthouse is referenced on NOAA chart 25640 (approaches to Vieques Passage).

5. Accessibility and Visiting

The Punta Mulas Light grounds are open to the public during daylight hours. Visitors can reach the site by car or taxi from Isabel Segunda via Calle Morropo, followed by a short walk over a paved spur road. Parking is available roadside.

6. Notable Views and Landscape

From the lighthouse, visitors can enjoy panoramic views of the Vieques Passage, nearby islets, and the Puerto Rican mainland to the northwest. At sunset, the tower silhouette is a prime photo subject. The surrounding landscape features semi-arid scrubland interspersed with rocky outcrops and seabirds often roosting on the cliffs below.

7. Anecdotes and Folklore

Local tradition holds that the ghost of an early Spanish keeper still lights the lamp on stormy nights – an unverified story but one that features in several island-wide ghost tours. It is also said that during World War II, the lighthouse served as a lookout post for U.S. forces guarding the eastern approaches to San Juan.

8. Technical and Operational Details

The Punta Mulas Light has been converted to automatic operation by the U.S. Coast Guard in the mid-20th century, with no resident keeper since then. The structure is listed as historic in OpenStreetMap ("historic=yes") and recorded as a man-made lighthouse ("man_made=lighthouse").

9. Further Information

For more information, visit Wikipedia (en:Punta_Mulas_Light), U.S. Coast Guard Light Lists (online edition), the Vieques Conservation & Historical Trust (Fundación Amigos del Faro de Vieques) website, and "Lighthouses of Puerto Rico" publications by the Puerto Rico Historic Preservation Office.