Rincón Lighthouse (Punta Higüero Lighthouse)

The original lighthouse went up here in 1892, built by the Spanish government with an elaborate Mediterranean design — exposed and indented brickwork around the doors and windows, reddish stucco imitating stonework, a parapet of lace-like brick cornice. The 1918 earthquake destroyed it. The United States Coast Guard rebuilt it in 1922, and the town of Rincón eventually built a park around what remained. The reason to go is the location: Desecheo Island across the water, humpback whales moving through the Mona Passage between January and March, and surfers working the breaks below.