Walled Cities in the Caribbean – Google Sightseeing

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We begin in Campeche, Mexico. Since its founding by the Spanish in 1540, the city had been attacked by English and Dutch pirates and privateers; therefore, starting in the 1680s, the city was fortified with a 2.6 km (1.6 mi) long wall Contains eight small defensive forts, or Bunkerand numerous other forts built along the city’s coastline facing the Gulf of Mexico. Today, much of the wall remains intact and defines the center of Campeche, which was declared a World Heritage Site in 1999.

Here we see Deira Port (Lumen)the main entrance through the city wall from the south.

Forts built along the water no longer protected Campeche from outsiders, but attracted them (i.e. tourists). Some forts, such as Fort San Miguelstill large and impressive, others such as St. Matthias Castle It is no longer so majestic.

On the other side of Campeche in the Yucatán Peninsula lie the remains of an even older walled city, the Mayan port of Tulum. One of the last cities built by the Maya and one of their most important coastal ports, Tulum was founded around 1200 AD with a population of just over a thousand. The rest of Tulum is protected from the east by steep cliffs overlooking the Caribbean Sea and is surrounded by a 5-meter (16-foot) high wall with watchtowers at the corners. As Tulum is nearly a thousand years old, The wall is intact today.

Buildings protected by the walls in downtown Tulum include Temple of the AdventIt is located in the city center, with a towering castle.

While Street View has yet to make it to Cuba, this list wouldn’t be complete without Havana. In 1702, the Spanish enclosed Havana with a wall, but the city eventually outgrew its scope (the Cuban capital was the third largest city in the Americas in the 18th century). By 1863, the wall had become an impediment to the city’s growth, so it was demolished. Today, the only thing you can see along the wall is the Marty Avenue A passage on the west side of Old Havana. However, the old barrier has not completely disappeared; this photo provides an excellent view of Castle of San Salvador de la Puntaone of two fortresses guarding the entrance to the city’s harbor.

Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, has a defensive wall built in the 16th century. The main gate in the wall is called Where is the door (The Earl’s Gate)Although the gate was built in 1543, it is best known as the site of the Declaration of Independence of the Dominican Republic on February 27, 1844.

Traveling east, we visited San Juan, Puerto Rico and its historic center. Old San Juan is the oldest colonial settlement in Puerto Rico, founded in 1509 and located on the western tip of an island in the northwest corner of the city. As in Havana, the eastern wall of the old city was demolished to make room for San Juan’s growing population. Thankfully, the western fortifications are still intact, including the 12.8-meter (42-foot) high wall That Overlooking San Juan Bay.

At the southern end of the wall stands strengthBuilt in the 1530s to defend the harbor, La Fortaleza Castle is now the official residence of the Governor of Puerto Rico.

Let’s take a look at the Colombian city of Cartagena. Like Campeche, Cartagena was fortified to protect against pirates. Many cannons still stand on the city walls along the seafront, such as this Located in Castelo de San Sebastian del Pastrillo.

On the top of the mountain Sitting high above Cartagena’s old town, the Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas was built in 1536 and expanded in 1657. Despite being far from the sea, the fortress was indeed captured by pirates (the French privateer Baron de Pointis) in 1697. As a major center for the slave trade during colonial times, the red color on the bricks is said to come from the blood of the slaves who were forced to build these buildings.

Despite its turbulent history, fortress Now Major tourist attractions In Cartagena, due to its High degree of preservation.

In the city itself, the walls are an integral part of the urban landscape. Buildings on the walls, such as Bell Tower and Fort Santa Catalina As a public gathering space, people can go shopping or take a leisurely stroll along the waterfront.

Perhaps the most striking feature of Cartagena’s walls is Plaza Las Bovedas (Dungeon Square)Built in the 1790s as a military prison, Las Bovedas Prison’s 23 cells are now used as a tourist shop.