El Capitolio: A deeply emotional experience

"The emotional impact of architecture is undeniable."

It recreates your world and influences your mental and spiritual responses. And in those responses we find meaning. Within the walls of El Capitolio in Old San Juan, I found that meaning.

Excitement: On the morning of the 2nd round of the Miss World Head to Head Challenge, I awoke eager and excited to share my story and experiences.

Trepidation: We got on the bus that would take us to El Capitolio in San Juan, home to the 2 chamber Legislative Assembly, composed of the House of Representatives on one side and the Senate Senate on the other. As I began to visualise what it looked like and how I would feel there, images of a stoic and intimidating building drifted through my mind, and this marked the onset of much trepidation. 

As that day unfolded, I would experience a kaleidoscopic of emotions that surprised me. And I embraced all of them.

Curiosity: El Capitolio sits atop a terraced hill overlooking a broad promenade of open space to the front and Bahia de San Juan, in the Atlantic Ocean to the back. It stands long, tall and majestic within an imperial setting, at the entrance of Old San Juan, with Pantheonesque domed rotunda in the middle, splendid and magnificent, authoritarian, commanding awe and respect. Somehow, seeing this powerful symbol of self-government gave me my own courage.

And as the Head to Head rounds grew closer, and anxiety, fear commingled with curiosity and a sense of calm.

Inspired: We entered this sanctified place, with marbled walls, floors, columns, arches and balustrades, trimmed with bronze, and ornamented with friezes and and murals telling the story of Puerto Rico's history. Wonder-struck was what I was. Inside, the building's impressive rotunda boasts an equally stunning dome, embellished with ornate, gilded mosaic murals. It is in this room that Puerto Rico’s 1952 constitution is exhibited. Thinking about the significance of this document and its promises to serve and ensure the fundamental rights of the people, my own promises to the girls back home came to mind. I was inspired by the significance of this room at this moment of my life. A new feeling of capability and certainty came over me.

Joy: I sat in the majestic room where lawmakers meet, and I knew I was abundantly blessed. With irrepressible pride and joy I told my story. Overwhelmingly humbled by the heartfelt response of the panel, I was moved to tears.

Gratitude: And afterwards, with contentment, I was grateful for such a powerful and moving experience.

That a single experience could evoke such sweeping emotions within me ... surprised me. But I understood that life is about exploring the full range. It is what make us human.