Royal Fortress of San Carlos de Borromeo

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Written by

francyrios75

Photography my Passion, my Family my Heart, Education my Devotion and Venezuela my Nation.

3 years ago

In community: Travel(ff15)

Topics: Travel, Life, Venezuela, Experiences, Photography, ...

Greetings Dear Readers

It is pleasant to share with you, a little bit of my memories, through images that I keep as one of my great treasures, since, they allow me to evoke unforgettable moments of my life, just by observing them, it is like having my own time machine. The site, to which I will dedicate my post today, is the Royal Fortress of San Carlos de Borromeo, located in the city of Pampatar, which is a city with a very particular charm on the island of Margarita, Venezuela.

The Castillo San Carlos de Borromeo, is a military construction dating from the seventeenth century, era of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, located in the Bay of Pampatar. It was a work designed by the military engineer Don Juan Betín. For a long time, it was considered as the most sophisticated and important military construction on the island, since it defended the strategic area of Pampatar, against constant attack by English, French and Dutch ships, as well as, of the many pirates and corsairs, who frequented the waters of the Caribbean.

Architecturally speaking, its structure corresponds to that of a castle of the "regular" type, which implies that its bastions and curtains have the same or similar dimension. It is characterized by having a base in the form of a star formed by 4 sentry boxes in the corners and 4 central curtains. The battery of guns was located in the front part, which faces the sea, in perfect alignment. In addition, it contains characteristic elements of strengths of this type, such as drawbridges, and even a pit that surrounds the entire fort.

The access to its interior, is through a lift bridge and as a curious fact, due to an architectural error on the part of the designer, the pit was built well above sea level, so it could never be filled with water, for that reason, it could not fulfill its function of protecting it mainly from assaults to feet, purpose for which it was built.

It is a building, which due to its strategic purpose, through its history was the victim of multiple attacks by pirates. Its construction began in 1622, taking approximately 20 years to complete. 40 years later, the castle was attacked by pirates and completely destroyed, so it was necessary to rebuild it, a process that began 2 years later and that only ended after 20 years in 1684. In the following years it was destroyed and rebuilt in many occasions.

Dungeon where the heroine Luisa Cáceres de Arismendi was imprisoned

The castle of Pampatar is the typical castle of the colonial period, however, it has a special historical interest, and this is due to the fact that in its dungeons the Margarita heroine, Luisa Cáceres de Arismendi, was imprisoned for a few days before be sent to La Guaira

Currently, this fortress is one of the best preserved of the colonial era and in which, the visitor can enjoy a wide panoramic view of the beautiful Bay of Pampatar and its surroundings, as well as a small museum inside the castle, where Valuable objects from the independence period, weapons, portraits and other objects are protected. Although it has had to be rebuilt and has already lost its vigilant and protective role, this historic monument is a tangible testimony to a revolutionary past and an invaluable part of the national heritage.