San Juan de Ulua
San Juan de Ulúa (also referred to as San Juan de Ulloa or San Juan d'Ulloa in older texts ) is an island fort that protects the port of Veracruz . The port is the most important eastern port in Mexico . The fortification is a tourist attraction.
history
On April 21, 1519, Hernán Cortés landed on the coast of what is now the state of Veracruz . With that began the conquest of Mexico .
The construction of today's fort began in 1565. It took almost 50 years to build. During the colonial period, the port was the port of call for the Spanish silver fleet , as it was from here that silver was exported to Spain . Thousands of the slaves used for construction are said to have died during the construction process . During the 19th century the fortress was used as a prison , especially for political prisoners.
The conflict of San Juan de Ulúa 1568
On September 23, 1568, the then tiny, 250-meter-long roadstead , consisting of several houses, a chapel and a battery of guns, was the scene of a bloody conflict between Spanish soldiers and English privateers .
On the return trip from a slave trade voyage, John Hawkins and Francis Drake's ships got caught in a severe storm. After that was Hawkins' flagship , the 700 tons of great Jesus of Lubeck , which in 1545 by the Hanseatic had been bought, barely seaworthy. After severe water ingress in the aft part of the superstructure was removed. The ship then reached San Juan de Ulúa with great difficulty. Three days before his arrival on September 15, 1568, Hawkins learned from the captain of a Spanish ship that the silver fleet would shortly reach San Juan de Ulúa.
The English were first greeted by the Deputy Governor of Vera Cruz , Martin de Marcana and the Treasurer Francisco de Butamante, as they were expecting the new Viceroy of New Spain Martín Enríquez de Almansa , who was on board one of the Spanish silver ships. Hawkins took control of the port and began repairing his ships. The Spanish Flota , consisting of 13 ships, two of which were warships, reached San Juan de Ulúa two days later. Hawkins initially refused to allow Spanish ships access to the port. However, he was also aware of the possible consequences should the Spaniards suffer any serious harm from his actions. Negotiations were conducted and hostages exchanged. The Spaniards were allowed to bring their ships into port and the English were guaranteed that they were allowed to repair their ships undisturbed.
Martín Enríquez de Almansa did not keep the promises. Instead, 120 soldiers from Vera Cruz were called in. During the night, additional guns were deployed on the Spanish ships now in port. The soldiers and local militiamen hid on board the ships anchored near the Jesus of Lübeck . In the battle on the following day, with the exception of the Minion and the Judith, all English ships were destroyed. The gunners of the Jesus of Lübeck succeeded in sinking the Spanish admiral ship and one of the merchant ships. The Vice Admiral's ship (Spanish Capitana ) was set on fire, killing 34 Spaniards. Hawkins managed to escape aboard the Minion . Drake escaped aboard the Judith . Both ships returned to England in January 1569. Of the 408 crew members of the English ships, however, only a handful survived. Those who were not killed in the actual battle were captured and fell victim to the Spanish Inquisition .
Siege of the fortress 1825
After the Mexican declaration of independence, the fortress was occupied by Spanish troops on November 16, 1810. Since the fortification was considered to be almost impregnable, the Mexican government decided to blockade the island in 1822, but it was not until August 16, 1825 that the actual siege of San Juan de Ulúa began. On October 5th, 1825, a Spanish fleet was sent out to supply the fortress with food and supplies. Mexican warships lined up for battle at Isla de Sacrificios . After both fleets had watched each other for several hours, the Spanish fleet turned away without firing a shot. With the surrender of the Spanish occupation of San Juan de Ulúa on November 19, 1825, Spain lost its last base in what is now Mexico.
Web links
- Description and photos at the National Institute for Anthropology and History, Mexico ( Memento of August 21, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) (Spanish)
Coordinates: 19 ° 12 '32.6 " N , 96 ° 7' 53.2" W.