Several Locations, Palestine, Jordan & Syria The Umayyads were well known as prolific builders, especially in and around their capital city of Damascus. Taking advantage of the construction expertise of local Byzantine architects and masons, the Umayyads dotted the region with dozens of palaces and castles. While few of these early medieval structures are still standing, … [Read more...]
FORT TICONDEROGA
Ticonderoga, NY For the better part of two centuries, the border region between Upstate New York and Canada was one of the most bitterly fought-over frontiers in the Americas. British, French and later American forces erected dozens of major fortresses all over the area in an effort to control the various waterways of the region. The greatest of these to survive is Fort … [Read more...]
REAL FELIPE FORTRESS
Lima, Peru The Real Felipe Fortress in Lima is the greatest Colonial-era fortress on the entire west coast of South America. It might even be argued that it is the greatest fortress in the Eastern Pacific. This is due in no small part to Lima’s isolation on the far side of Panama, which insulated Peru from the colonial wars and pirate attacks which ravaged the Caribbean Sea … [Read more...]
CARTAGENA FORTIFICATIONS (FORT SAN FILIPE, FORT SAN SEBASTIAN, CITY WALLS)
Cartagena, Colombia The Port of Cartagena in Colombia was among the most strategic Spanish cities in the New World. It was considered so important, in fact, that the Spanish built not one but two of their largest colonial fortresses here: Fort San Felipe De Barajas and Fort San Sebastian De Pastelillo. From the 17th century onward these two fortifications and the fleets … [Read more...]
SAN MARCOS CASTLE
St. Augustine, FL The Castello De San Marcos is the oldest and one of the strongest fortifications ever built in what is now the United States. It may also be the most embattled fortress in the United States not directly tied to the American Revolution or American Civil War. Historically it is the pride and joy of both St. Augustine, America’s oldest city, and the State of … [Read more...]
FORT SAN JUAN DE ULUA
Veracruz, Mexico While the fortifications of Campeche are collectively more impressive, the Fort San Juan de Ulua in Veracruz is singly the best fortress complex in Mexico and one of the finest in the Gulf of Mexico. Seemingly rising up out of the harbor, Fort San Juan de Ulua was one of the most impregnable fortifications in the New World. As evidence of this, the fort … [Read more...]
CAMPECHE FORTIFICATIONS
Campeche, Mexico Campeche was the most important Spanish colonial port in Mexico, and one of the most important colonial cities in the Caribbean. Because of the wealth that passed through here on its way to Europe, it was also one of the most attractive and luratice targets for pirates in the New World. To protect it the Spanish turned Campeche into one of the most heavily … [Read more...]
BRITISH FORTS OF THE CARIBBEAN (FORT CHARLOTTE, FORT CHARLES, BRIMSTONE HILL FORTRESS)
Nassau, Bahamas; Kingston, Jamaica; Basseterre, St. Kitts During the age of the great colonial empires, the European powers battled each other around the globe for political, military and commercial dominance. Nowhere were these wars more frequent or more brutal than in the waters and islands of the Caribbean Sea. The forces of Spain, France, England, Holland and other … [Read more...]
SPANISH FORTS OF THE CARIBBEAN (OZAMA, SAN FELIPE DEL MORRO, SAN CARLOS DE LA CABANA)
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Havana, Cuba During the age of the great colonial empires, the European powers battled each other around the globe for political, military and commercial dominance. Nowhere were these wars more frequent or more fierce than in the waters and islands of the Caribbean Sea. The forces of Spain, France, England, Holland … [Read more...]
BERMUDA FORTIFICATIONS (KING’S CASTLE, FORT CUNNINGHAM, FORT ST. CATHERINE)
St. George’s, Bermuda The islands of Bermuda in the Central Atlantic were England’s gateway to the New World colonies for well over three centuries. A large share of all English shipping to and from the Americas passed through Bermuda. It became an important base for shelter and supply, both for trade and for the British navy. Not This isolated, rocky island cluster was well … [Read more...]
