The Devil’s Sentry Box, San Juan, Puerto Rico

Mar 8

At the Castillo San Cristobal in San Juan, Puerto Rico, there are legends of the devil stealing soldiers in the middle of the night from a specific sentry box.

Castillo San Cristóbal

(Saint Christopher’s Castle)

The Castillo San Cristobal is an old fortress built on one of the northern tips of San Juan, Puerto Rico. At first used to guard the island against pirate attacks and later used to defend the island in wars, such as the Spanish-American War, the fort has a long history including one that may possibly involve the devil.

Going as far back as 1634 stone sentry boxes were built along the edges of the fort with one, in particular, extending out onto the jagged rocks and ocean below. This sentry box was further out than the rest, only reached by going down a long dark stone hallway.

Since each box only contained one guard at night, they would call out to each other at regular intervals to ensure they were still at their post.

Long before the sentry box became known as the Devil’s sentry box many soldiers believed it was haunted due to the strange voice and laughter they claimed to hear in the night. Others attributed the sounds to the echoes of the crashing waves below playing tricks on them but soon even they would think the devil had arrived.

The Legend of La Garita del Diablo

(The Devil’s Sentry Box)

The most well-known legend takes place sometime in the 17th century when a soldier named Sanchez was stationed at the isolated sentry box during the night. Sanchez was known to be a guitar player who strummed his guitar at his post to pass the time.

One night during roll call, a soldier yelled down the dark hallway for Sanchez but heard no response. He waited to hear strums of the guitar but all he heard were the whistles of the wind and crashes of the waves below.

The soldier alerted the night watchmen that Sanchez had gone missing and the watchmen claimed to not have seen anyone walk by. The men concluded that could only mean something took Sanchez but they were both too scared to check in the dead of night.

They waited till morning and once the sun rose, they ran down to the sentry box. There, they found Sanchez’s rifle and clothes but no sign or clues as to what took him. Some claim the men could smell sulfur in the air or that they found pieces of Sanchez’s clothes singed or burnt.

After this, the soldiers claimed it was the devil that took Sanchez and refused to guard the sentry box going forward.

Several nights later some soldiers claimed they heard the sounds of Sanchez’s guitar coming from the hallway leading to the sentry box. The soldiers guarded the hall all night, if something was there it wouldn’t be able to leave without them seeing.

They watched intently still hearing the guitar strings and when the sun rose they ran down the hall, finding the sentry box still empty. After this, on some nights the sounds of guitar strings could be heard and on others, the sounds of a demonic laugh echoed through the halls.

Other Legends

Unsurprisingly there are other variations to the legend. One variation doesn’t name the soldier who disappeared but after he disappeared another soldier was brave enough to guard the sentry box the following night. That soldier then disappeared as well. It was at this point the investigating watchmen smelled sulfur in the night and continued to do so for more subsequent nights.

Another variation of the legend involves Sanchez but gives a possible explanation for his disappearance. In this version, Sanchez was in love with a local woman named Diana but her mother was against their relationship.

Sanchez would play his guitar at night from his post as Diana walked along the beach listening to his music. One night Sanchez played a song and sang to Diana but his song included a message telling her of his wish to escape with her.

The following night Diana snuck into the sentry box bringing along with her some clothes and other items. Sanchez changed out of his uniform and the two snuck out between roll calls, escaping into the mountains to live the rest of their lives together.

His seemingly strange disappearance caused the soldier to believe the devil had taken him resulting in no searches being conducted. Sanchez and Diana lived happily ever after.