The Fortaleza San Felipe is a historic Spanish fortress located in the north of

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

in the province of Puerto Plata. It is also known as ''El Morro'' de San Felipe and was used to protect the City of Puerto Plata from pirates and corsairs. It is located on a hill at the ''Puntilla del Malecón'', overlooking the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

; its strategic location protected the entrance to the city's seaport. The construction of the fort was commissioned by King Felipe II of

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

in 1564, and it was completed in 1577 by Don Rengifo de Angulo, the fort's mayor. Today, the Fortaleza San Felipe serves as a

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...

showcasing the important role it has played in the history of Puerto Plata and the Dominican Republic. The fortress houses military artifacts from the 18th and 19th centuries.

History

The fortress was the scene of one of the few land battles in the

Quasi War The Quasi-War (french: Quasi-guerre) was an undeclared naval war fought from 1798 to 1800 between the United States and the French First Republic, primarily in the Caribbean and off the East Coast of the United States. The ability of Congress ...

, against the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

in May 1800. The

Battle of Puerto Plata Harbor The Battle of Puerto Plata Harbor took place in 1800 with France and Spain on one side, and the United States on the other, during the undeclared Quasi-War officially between the French First Republic and the United States. American forces land ...

saw American forces overwhelm both the French and Spanish forces. The Fortaleza San Felipe has been used in various occasions throughout its history as a

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, corre ...

; it was where

Pedro Santana Pedro Santana y Familias, 1st Marquess of Las Carreras (June 29, 1801June 14, 1864) was a Dominican military commander and royalist politician who served as the president of the junta that had established the First Dominican Republic, a pr ...

jailed one of the founding fathers,

Juan Pablo Duarte Juan Pablo Duarte y Díez (January 26, 1813 – July 15, 1876) was a Dominican military leader, writer, activist, and nationalist politician who was the foremost of the founding fathers of the Dominican Republic and bears the title of Father of ...

. The fortress was converted into a museum in 1965, underwent a major renovation in 1972 and in 1983 was officially opened to public. Today, the fortress is the only remnant of the 16th century in Puerto Plata, as everything else was destroyed in battles or fires during the War of Restoration.

References

{{Authority control Museums in the Dominican Republic San Felipe Buildings and structures in Puerto Plata Province Spanish colonial fortifications in the Dominican Republic Tourist attractions in Puerto Plata Province Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

History

See also

References