La Perla, San Juan, Puerto Rico - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

La Perla is a slum aside of the northern historic city wall of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

, stretching about 650 yards (600 m) along the rocky Atlantic

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

coast immediately east of the Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery

Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery

Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery is a colonial-era cemetery located in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is the final resting place of many of Puerto Rico's most prominent natives and residents. Construction began in 1863 under the auspices of Ignacio Mascaro. The cemetery is located outside...

and down the slope from (north of) Calle Norzagaray.

La Perla was established in the late 19th century. Initially, the area was the site of a slaughterhouse

Slaughterhouse

A slaughterhouse or abattoir is a facility where animals are killed for consumption as food products.Approximately 45-50% of the animal can be turned into edible products...

because the law required them and homes of former slaves and homeless non-white servants – as well as cemeteries

Cemetery

A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...

– to be established away from the main community center; in this case, outside the city walls.