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with
unsuspected treasures attached to a fascinating history.
Following the
attacks of 1598 and 1625, Spain realized that it was necessary to
fortify the town even more, especially on the landward side.
Therefore, during the 17th century, construction began on a second
Castle (1634) and the wall which was to surround the city to prevent
an enemy from approaching by land from an eastward direction.
By 1650, the
stone walls enclosed the city on the east, south and west sides. The
new Castle, which was at this time little more than a redoubt,
protected the entrance to the city from the east. El Morro protected
the seaward approach to the north.
In the 17th
century, the new Castle acquired the name of San Cristóbal,
after the hill upon which it was built. Rising almost 150 feet above
sea level on the north eastern side of Old San Juan, about a mile
from San Felipe del Morro, it is the largest fortification in the
Americas and comprises two major parts, the main Castle and the outer defenses.
When
construction of the Castle commenced in 1634, it was in the form of a
small triangular redoubt. Day after day, 400 men, laborers,
prisoners, soldiers and some slaves, toiled on the Castle and the
city walls. These walls were completed in 1785, by which time San
Cristóbal had been transformed into a system of fortifications
covering almost 11 hectares. Each of the Castle's structures were
interconnected so as to form multiple lines of defense. If the enemy
captured one line of defense, the remainder could continue fighting;
this feature is known as defense in depth.
The
illustration shows the Castle as it was in 1790. We see the main
Castle and its hornwork, giving continuity to the walls of the city.
In front of the hornwork are the ravelin of San Carlos and the
Trinidad counterguard, both surrounded by dry moats. Beyond the moat
is the parade ground, which leads to a fortification known as El
Abanico (the fan). Looking towards the sea from El Abanico one can
see Santa Teresa, the battery defending the north coast, and La
Princesa, whose cannons can defend against attacks from both land and
sea. Underground galleries had been excavated beneath the esplanade,
and most of these still exist today. Other important structures of
the Castle including the east wall and the ravelin and bastion of
Santiago, were demolished to extend the city eastwards in 1897.
The highest
part of San Cristóbal is called the "Caballero", a
large platform for cannons constructed above the hornwork. From this
level, the city and the whole bay could be observed. At the foot of
the hornwork (the oldest wall in the Castle) we found the second
level or main battery, with embrasures dominating the east side of
San Juan. Descending from the second level via the main artillery
ramp, we arrive at the interior courtyard or main square. This was
the place where the soldiers paraded in the mornings to receive their
orders of the day and conduct their military exercises. In this
square we see the chapel of Santa Barbara (the patron saint of
artillerymen) and also the infantry barracks, the officers' quarters,
kitchens, latrines, powder magazines, the guardhouse, prisons and
wells. As in the case of El Morro, cisterns are located below ground
level in the main square to catch and store rainwater, the only
source of drinking water at the time. There are five such cisterns in
San Cristóbal and three in El Morro.
A
comprehensive system of underground tunnels was constructed to allow
the movement of troops, artillery and powder. There was also a system
of "mined galleries", explosives placed in underground
tunnels, which could be detonated beneath an advancing enemy to deny
them access to the interior of the Castle or the city. The completion
of San Cristóbal and the city walls, (considered to be a
masterpiece of military engineering in the 18th century), made San
Juan the most fortified city in the Caribbean.
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