Pirámide de Cataño

View from southwestern corner. jimmysoda (Atlas Obscura User)

In a previous existence, this striking pyramid was a library. Now, it’s being transformed into an integrated center for the arts and sciences, thanks to the joint efforts of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Puerto Rico (MAC) and the Center for Sustainable Development Studies (CEDES) of the Cupey Campus of Ana G. Méndez (UAGM).

A mural titled “Entre tierra firme y mar” (“Between mainland and sea”) by Nathan Budoff McKibben adorns the pyramid. The northern side features the endangered Antillean manatee that still sometimes swims in the Bay of San Juan. The eastern face displays an octopus surrounded by crabs to represent the local cuisine of the Cataño municipality, as well as two fisherman bats in flight.

The southern side shows the Chirriaría bird, Puerto Rican monarch butterflies, and fisherman bats. Finally, the western facade depicts a seaside landscape with a coconut palm, mangroves, a heron, and the Lancha de Cataño, a ferry boat that connects the town of Cataño to Old San Juan across the bay.

Know Before You Go

The pyramid is a 15-minute walk west of Cataño's AcuaExpreso ferry terminal. The ferry from Old San Juan's Pier 2 takes about 10 minutes to cross the bay. You can obtain more information and purchase ferry tickets at puertoricoferry.com. The town of Cataño can be easily accessed by road from San Juan on westbound PR-22 expressway (Expreso José de Diego) to exit 7A (PR-165). From Bayamón, take the northbound PR-5 expressway (Expreso Río Hondo) until its terminus in the town of Cataño. The pyramid is on PR-888 (Avenida de las Nereidas) that follows the waterfront, about 820 feet west of the Villa Pesquera seafood dining hall.