Guatemala (#06): Castile San Felipe

Early in the 16th Century, trade was established between Guatemala and Spain via what was then called the Golfo Dulce. Constant attacks by pirates in the Gulf of Mexico and incursions into Guatemala through the Rio Dulce made it necessary to defend the entrance to Lake Izabal where warehouses had been set up for goods entering from or leaving for Spain. In 1595 the Governor informed King Philip II of Spain of the attacks suffered and it was decided to build a tower equipped with twelve artillery pieces and twelve soldiers. The tower was called the Sande Tower.

In 1604 after the first tower was destroyed, Captain Don Pedro de Bustamante, from whom it took its name, the Bustamante Tower, rebuilt it. It was around this time that the port at Santo Tomas de Castilla was founded. By 1640 the pirates intensified their attacks in this area. Some rather famous (or infamous) pirates were involved in the attacks on the Rio Dulce including: Diego the Mulatto, Lieutenant of "Pegleg" Anthony Shirly. Shirly was a pirate of aristocratic birth, called the Adventurous Gentleman, the Highwayman from Jamaica and Puerto Rico. 1651 saw Judge Lara y Mogrovejo rebuilt the fort a second time, calling it San Felipe de Lara Castle in honor of the king and himself.

By 1655 pirate attacks decreased and the fort became a prison and place of exile because of the harsh climate. Between 1660 and 1688 the fort was rebuilt three times and peace returned to the region. By 1736 three additional lookout points were completed and the fort remained in use until its function and purpose declined in the late 1800s. In the 1950s the fort, suffering severe deterioration, was restored and cannons, found upriver, were returned. Today it is a museum offering insight into piracy.

Видео Guatemala (#06): Castile San Felipe канала Edward Rozylowicz