Punta de las Figuras Light is an historic lighthouse located in Arroyo, Puerto Rico

Arroyo, Puerto Rico

Arroyo is a municipality located along the southern coast of Puerto Rico and bordered by the Caribbean Sea, east of the municipality of Guayama and northwest of the municipality of Patillas. Arroyo is spread over 5 wards and Arroyo Pueblo...

. It was first lit by the Spanish

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 government in 1893. The light was relocated in 1938, and the structure was deactivated and abandoned. During World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, the lighthouse

Lighthouse

A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....

was used as a lookout. After the U.S army abandoned the structure in 1963, the lighthouse was repeatedly vandalized. In 1969 the lens and lantern were destroyed.

In 2003, the Puerto Rican government rehabilitated the lighthouse at a cost of two million dollars. The lighthouse is located at the entrance of the "Balneario Punta Guilarte" beach resort managed by the Puerto Rico National Parks Company.