El Faro de Punta Mulas, Vieques

Built by the Spanish between 1895 and 1896 to guide vessels safely into the port of Isabel Segunda, Faro Punta Mulas crowns a modest promontory at the eastern edge of the island's principal town. Its lantern room sits 68 feet above sea level; the fixed red light it once cast was visible eight miles out — precisely the distance to mainland Puerto Rico. The lighthouse was automated in 1949, restored in 1992, and now functions as a small museum of island history. It is rarely open, but the promontory delivers an unobstructed view of the harbor regardless.