Picture of Fortress of San Felipe with a statue of hero Blas de Lezo in the foreground (Cartagena de Indias, Colombia)

Statue of Blas de Lezo and the Castillo San Felipe

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The biggest fortress the Spanish ever built in their colonies, the Castillo San Felipe de Barajas was never conquered. It still overlooks the old city and the surroundings.
Cartagena de Indias was founded in 1533 by the Spanish conqueror Pedro de Heredia, who actually built it at the location of an existing settlement of the indigenous Carib Indians. It soon acquired importance as the main gateway for Spain into South America, and it became the warehouse of the Spanish treasures taken from the newly discovered territories. Not surprisingly, Cartagena became a prime target for pirates, and in order to defend it against attackers, the city was turned into a fortress, surrounded by a defensive wall. The Spanish also decided to build a real fortress, which was cleverly constructed to make it difficult to attack and impossible to conquer. Initially based on a design of the Dutch engineer Ricardo, the fortress was ultimately finished by Antonio de Arévalo. The design worked.
Read more about: Castillo San Felipe de Barajas

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