Castillo San Felipe de Barajas

The greatest Spanish fortress in the Americas, wrapped around San Lázaro hill, which repelled the huge British assault of 1741.

The first fort was called Castillo de San Lázaro and was built in 1639. It was expanded until 1657 and named in honour of King Philip IV of Spain. It is shaped like a triangle with batteries, or gun platforms, that protect one another, and a maze of tunnels runs inside. It stands about 41 metres above sea level, and it is often called the greatest Spanish fortress in the Americas.

How did the fortress defend the city?

The walls are wide at the base and narrow toward the top, forming a pattern of bunkers. The batteries and parapets cover each other, so an attacker who took one part still came under fire from the next. Around 68 guns faced away from the city. The fort was built with the work of enslaved African labourers under Spanish supervision.

What famous battles took place here?

In 1697 French privateers under Baron de Pointis took the castle. In 1741 the British admiral Edward Vernon attacked with a huge force during the War of Jenkins' Ear, but the Spanish admiral Blas de Lezo drove him back. The fort was expanded again in 1763, and in 1816 the town fell to the Spanish royalists during the wars of independence.

On the globe

The model shows the stone fortress wrapped around the San Lázaro hill. Look for the triangle of walls, the batteries and the big entrance.