A spanish colonial fort an the entrance to Lake Izabal, Guatemala.

Castillo de San Felipe de Lara

The Castillo de San Felipe de Lara(often referred to simply as the Castillo de San Felipe) is a Spanish colonial fort at the entrance to Lake Izabal in eastern Guatemala. Lake Izabal is connected with the Caribbean Sea via the Dulce River  and El Golfete lake.

Castle of San Felipe

The Castillo de San Felipe was used by the Spanish for several centuries, during which time it was destroyed and looted several times by pirates. 

Canyons in attack

The fort was strategically situated at the narrowest point on the river. Early in the sixteenth 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.

Canyons in position to attack Dulce River

The fort is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List and is a popular regional tourist destination.

History

San Felipe had continuous occupation from the Mesoamerican Middle Preclassic period (1000-400 BC) and was still inhabited when the Spanish first arrived in the region in the mid 16th century.

The castillo San Felipe was built to protect the port of San Antonio de las Bodegas on the south shore of Lake Izabal from frequent pirate attacks, mostly by English pirates. After nighfall, passage along the river into the lake was blocked by a large chain that crossed from the fort to the far bank. San Antonio was the main port for receiving Spanish shipping carrying goods for the Captaincy General of Guatemala and was responsible for supplying and garrisoning the fort.

Entrance to the castle.

Guatemalan records contain details of captains being appointed to the fort wll into the 18th century. The position was a joint post, also including the position of mayor of San Pedro de Amatique and San Antonio de las Bodegas. The latter post was in name only, since the towns were abandoned due to constant slave raids by the Mosquito Zambo that left the Motagua delta and shores of Lake Izabal largely deserted, with those inhabitants that did not flee being sold into slavery in the British colony of Jamaica. A census taken in October 1776 recorded 122 inhabitants of San Felipe, all of whom were either Spanish or mixed race. In 1797 the garrison numbered 36 infantry.

Construction

A tower already existed on the site by 1604, when it is recorded as having been destroyed. The fort was built in 1644 under the orders of Diego de Avendaño, then governor of the Kingdom of Guatemala. At the time it was known as Fuerte Bustamante and the torreón de Defensa. The design of the walls was modified by the Oidor(high judge) Lara y Mogrovejo, from whom it gained the "de Lara" part of its name.

The first tower of the fort was built in 1595

It was rebuilt in 1651 under orders of Lara y Mongovejo. The fort was redesigned in 1687 by Diego Gomez de Ocampo in the style of the French military architect Sebastien Le Prestre de Vauban.

Inside of castle.

The modified design was implemented in 1689. Three bastions were functioning by 1697. Additional fortifications were designed by engineer Jose Sierra and added in 1797; they included three artillery batteries known as the batteries of San Carlos, San Felipe an Santiago. Two barracks were also added.

The drawbridge over the moat

Over the years, the area´s martitime activity decreased significantly and Rio Dulce lost much of its economic importance and the castle now remains as a memory, witness of the past and tourist attraction.

for more details about history you can visit: here

Tourism

The site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on September 23, 2002 in the Cultural category. The fort is under the administrative care of the Guatemalan Institute of Tourism. It is One of the most popular tourist destinations in the Rio Dulce National Park. A significant increase in the number of visiting tourists was recorded in the period 2001-2003, over 90% of whom were Guatemalans.

Inside the tourist area, on the castle, you can find young Caribbean hair braiding visitors and souvenir shop there. Once inside the castle, you can visit each of its parts as the work of restoration has been extensive and successfull. The view from the top of the tower is interesting. 

For more information about Castillo de San Felipe de Lara you can enter:

• Guatemala guides
• gofolklore
• tripadvisor
• lonelyplanet

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