Fortín Solano is an eighteenth-century colonial fortification overlooking

Puerto Cabello Puerto Cabello () is a city on the north coast of Venezuela. It is located in Carabobo State, about 210 km west of Caracas. As of 2011, the city had a population of around 182,400. The city is home to the largest and busiest port in the coun ...

, Venezuela. With the Castillo San Felipe, an earlier fort built at sea level, it formed part of a complex of fortifications designed to protect Puerto Cabello and its important harbour from naval attacks. It was constructed by order of Don

José Solano y Bote José de Solano y Bote, 1st Marquess of Socorro (March 6, 1726 – March 24, 1806), was a Spanish naval officer. Biography He served an extensive career in the Spanish Navy starting at the age of 16 until his death in 1806. Shortly after joi ...

on behalf of the

King of Spain , coatofarms = File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Spanish_Monarch.svg , coatofarms_article = Coat of arms of the King of Spain , image = Felipe_VI_in_2020_(cropped).jpg , incumbent = Felipe VI , incumbentsince = 19 Ju ...

. It has been described as the last military construction built in Venezuela during the colonial era. The fort has been the center of several notable events in Venezuelan history. Spanish commander Antonio Zuazola was hanged after a surprise attack by the forces of

Rafael Urdaneta Rafael José Urdaneta y Farías (October 24, 1788 – August 23, 1845) was a Venezuelan General and hero of the Spanish American wars of independence. He served as President of Gran Colombia from 1830 until 1831. He was an ardent supporter ...

overthrew the royalists, giving control of the fort to the patriots.

Pedro Carujo Pedro Carujo (1801–1836) was a Venezuelan military officer. He was one of the leaders in the Revolution of the Reforms of 1835. Youth He was the son of Canarian José Carujo, royalist official and Venezuelan Juana Hernandez. He received a ...

was imprisoned in the fort after attempting to kill

Simón Bolívar Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (24 July 1783 – 17 December 1830) was a Venezuelan military and political leader who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama and B ...

in 1828. In 1962, the fort was the stronghold of an uprising led by several commanders in the city. It was declared a

National monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a spec ...

in 1965 and is located inside the

San Esteban National Park The San Esteban National Park (in Spanish Parque Nacional San Esteban) is located in Carabobo, Venezuela. The park lies on the Northeastern part of Carabobo and it links with the Henri Pittier National Park of Aragua. Both are natural reservat ...

, which was designed in 1987.

Description

Fortín Solano is located in the

, south of

Carabobo , anthem = '' Himno del Estado Carabobo'' , image_map = Carabobo in Venezuela.svg , map_alt = , map_caption = Location within Venezuela , pushpin_map = , pushpin_map_ ...

. It is a military fort built by order of governor of Venezuela, Don

in the area referred to as Cresta de Vigía (or "lookout crest"). It was designed to house artillery and was intended to protect the commercial complex of the city and the harbour from naval attacks. It was the only colonial fortification to be built between 1763 and 1771 and it is described as the last military construction built during the colonial era in Venezuela.

History

Eighteenth and nineteenth centuries

Before the construction of Fortín Solano, Puerto Cabello had resisted attacks from the British in the

Battle of Puerto Cabello The Battle of Puerto Cabello was a failed attack on a Spanish colonial port during the War of Jenkins' Ear on 16 April 1743. Background The British naval forces under commodore Sir Charles Knowles had failed against the Spaniards in the attack ...

. Puerto Cabello continued to be controlled by Spanish forces after the fort's construction in 1766 until it was lost to Venezuela patriots on September 1, 1813. A surprise attack took place, aided by the forces of

, in the midst of the Admirable Campaign in the

Venezuelan War of Independence The Venezuelan War of Independence ( es, Guerra de Independencia de Venezuela, links=no, 1810–1823) was one of the Spanish American wars of independence of the early nineteenth century, when independence movements in Latin America fought agai ...

. The following day, Spanish commander Antonio Zuazola, who was known for having mutilated hundreds of prisoners in the east of the country, was imprisoned.

, leader of the patriots, offered

Domingo de Monteverde Juan Domingo de Monteverde y Rivas (born Juan Domingo de Monteverde; 2 April 1773 15 September 1832), commonly known as Domingo de Monteverde, was a Spanish soldier, governor and Captain General of Venezuela from June 1812 to 8 August 1813. Mont ...

, leader of the royalists, the exchange of Zuazola with Domingo Jalón. After the proposal was rejected by the royalists, Bolívar ordered the death of Zuazola, who was hanged from a flagpole outside the walls of the fort. In 1828, Bolívar issued a decree establishing his dictatorship in the country; as a result, a group of young lawyers gathered to depose Bolívar and proclaim

Francisco de Paula Santander Francisco José de Paula Santander y Omaña (Villa del Rosario, Norte de Santander, Colombia, April 2, 1792 – Santafé de Bogotá, Colombia, May 6, 1840), was a Colombian military and political leader during the 1810–1819 independ ...

as constitutional president. On the night of September 25, 1828 the conspirators attempted to assassinate Bolivar at the presidential palace; Bolívar managed to escape with the help of Manuela Sáenz by jumping from a window until the military forces restored control of the city.

, born in Barcelona, became a Commander in 1828, hand picked by Simón Bolívar to lead the Military Academy founded in Bogotá. However, Carujo joined the supporters of Santander and attempted to kill Bolívar while on the revolt of September 25, for which he was sentenced to death and moved to the Solano fort in March 1829. After managing to escape several months later, he was recaptured and irons were attached to him. He was deported to Curacao in June 1830, only to return several months later under the government of

José Antonio Páez José Antonio Páez Herrera (; 13 June 1790 – 6 May 1873) was a Venezuelan leader who fought against the Spanish Crown for Simón Bolívar during the Venezuelan War of Independence. He later led Venezuela's independence from Gran Colombia. H ...

Twentieth century

In 1904, a budget designed by engineer Germán Jimenez was approved by the Ministry of Public Works to repair the fort. On June 2, 1962, an uprising (the Porteñazo) led by Manuel Ponte Rodriguez, commander Pedro Medina Silva and Lieutenant Commander Victor Hugo Morales occurred in the city of Puerto Cabello. As soon as the national Government became aware of the revolt, troops of both the Air Force and the Army led by Colonel Alfredo Monch are sent to bomb and surround the city. At the same time, most of the officers in command of 55th National Guard squadron and detachment refuse to participate in the uprising. The following day, the Ministry of Interior announced that Armed forces loyal to the government defeated the rebellion with a balance of 400 deaths and 700 wounded. On June 6, Fortín Solano, which was used as a stronghold by the rebels, fell when the leaders of the revolt were captured by the Army.

Conservation

The fort was declared a

in 1965. It is included in the boundaries of the

which, as well as being of ecological importance, protects other infrastructure dating from the colonial era, including the ''Camino de los Españoles'', a route to Valencia del Rey.

References