Fortress sights in Panama
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Fuerte San Lorenzo
The Fuerte San Lorenzo was built in 1595, by order of Felipe II of Spain, to fortify the Río Chagres and the trade route to the city of Panamá. Despite its violent history, which includes constant pirate attack (and occupation by Sir Francis Drake himself), much of San Lorenzo is well preserved, including the moat, the cannons and the arched rooms.
Together with Portobelo, Fuerte San Lorenzo was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1980. Like its contemporary fortresses at Portobelo, San Lorenzo was constructed of blocks of cut coral, and armed to the teeth with rows upon rows of cannons. If you inspect the cannons closely, you'll notice that some of them are…
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Panamá Viejo Ruins
The center of power resided at the Casas Reales (Royal House), a complex ringed by timber ramparts and separated from the city proper by a moat. Within the complex were the customs house, the royal treasury, a prison and the governor's house. Despite the obvious historical importance of the site, past governments have allowed sections of the property to be used as a landfill and for horse stables. Only scattered walls remain of the once-impressive structures.
The Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción (Cathedral of Our Lady of Asunción), built between 1619 and 1626, is the best-preserved building of the ruins. In traditional fashion, it was designed so that its two…
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Fuerte San Fernando
To defend his bullion and galleons from pirates, King Félipe II ordered forts to be constructed at Portobelo based on Italian engineer Juan Bautista Antonelli's recommendation. In 1601, Fuerte San Félipe and Fuerte San Diego were built near the mouth of the bay, but were subsequently destroyed by British Admiral Vernon in 1739.
In the years to follow, Fuerte San Fernando was built on top of these ruins, though sadly much of the fort was later taken down by American engineers, who used its walls to create the breakwater protecting the northern end of the Panama Canal. Still, it's a scenic spot worth visiting and boats can be hired from the water's edge to bring you…
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Fuerte Santiago
As you approach the town from the west, the first fort you'll see is Fuerte Santiago, which was built after an attack on the city by Admiral Edward Vernon (during which earlier forts were destroyed). Several of its walls are 3m thick and made entirely of cut coral. Known to the Spaniards as 'reef rock', coral was extensively used as a building material since it's tough as granite yet light as pumice and it can easily be shaped with a saw.
The ruins at Fuerte Santiago include officers' quarters, artillery sheds, a sentry box, barracks and several watchtowers.
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Fuerte San Jerónimo
This was the largest fortress ever built to protect the bay. Facing the mouth of the bay are 18 cannon embrasures, some of which remain exactly where the Spanish troops left them when they returned home in 1821 - the year Panama declared its independence from Spain. Beyond the impressive gateway of San Jerónimo are the remains of the officers' quarters, barracks and a guardroom.
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