Castillo de San Felipe de Lara
The Castillo de San Felipe de Lara is a small fortress in eastern Guatemala . It is in the since 2002 Tentative List for inclusion in the UNESCO - World Heritage listed.
location
The Castillo de San Felipe is located on a headland at the exit of Lake Izabal or at the beginning of the Río Dulce, which was navigable for sailing ships in earlier times, at a height of approx. 2 m above sea level. d. It is approx. 280 km (driving distance) in a north-easterly direction from the capital of Guatemala ; the next larger city is the port city of Puerto Barrios , about 45 km to the east , which can be reached by road at a distance of 82 km.
history
As early as 1595, a small fortress tower ( Torre de Sande ) was built on the site of today's fort to ward off English, Dutch and Portuguese pirates who had previously repeatedly managed to penetrate Lake Izabal. There were several trading stations with warehouses, whose goods were shipped to Spain ( Seville ). But even if the Spanish ships reached the Caribbean, they could not be safe from further pirate attacks. The first fortress had 12 cannons and a crew of 12 soldiers; However, it was destroyed a short time later, so that in 1604 a new and larger tower was built ( Torre de Bustamante ). Today's Castillo de San Felipe was built between 1644 and 1651, d. H. during the reign of Philip II , by Antonio De Lara y Mogrovejo on the orders of the Spanish colonial administration . As early as 1688, parts of the fortress were renewed and expanded. In the 18th century, trade between Guatemala and Spain was more and more carried out via the port of Santo Tomás de Castilla (now a district of Puerto Barrios ). In 1817 the fort was abandoned; a few years later (1821) Guatemala gained independence. In 1955 and 2001 the fortress was thoroughly restored and is now one of the most popular excursion and tourist destinations in Guatemala.
architecture
The land side of the fortress, which was surrounded by a wall of roughly hewn stones, was protected by a moat (still preserved) with a drawbridge . Inside the wall ring are several - formerly thatched - towers and other buildings that served as storage rooms for gunpowder , ammunition and weapons, but were sometimes also used as a prison. Other rooms served as accommodation for the soldiers stationed here or as stables. The kitchen fireplace has also been preserved. There are a total of 19 cannons on the walls of today's fortress, 2 of them made of bronze .
Web links
- Castillo de San Felipe de Lara - photos + information (English and Spanish)
- Castillo de San Felipe de Lara - photos + information (spanish)
- Castillo de San Felipe de Lara - photos + information (spanish)
- Castillo de San Felipe de Lara - video
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 15 ° 38 ′ 14 " N , 88 ° 59 ′ 39" W