Castillo de San Marcos National Monument

1 South Castillo Drive, Saint Augustine, Fl

Thursday, March 11th, 2021

The Castillo de San Marcos is the oldest fort in the continental U.S. A wooden structure existed in its place before being destroyed by the British in 1668. The construction for the current coquina fort began in 1672 and finished in 1695. It has served as a defense against attackers but also as a prison for Native American groups. It is currently a popular tourist spot. For more information, please visit the: National Park Service. 

Artifact I:

Furnace fire

Soldiers would load cannonballs into the furnace where they would be heated up to 1500 F for 30 minutes. Then, the soldiers would carry the red-iron shot to the cannons. The goal was to set the enemy ship on fire. Although soldiers here never fired cannonballs against enemies, they still conducted drills in case of the event. 

Artifact II:

Escape window

This thin window is rumored to be the one where warrior Coacoochee made his escape through. In an 1848 interview with Lieutenant John T. Sprague, Coacoochee told the story of how he escaped with his friend Talmus Hadjo by starving themselves enough to fit through the window. Next, they lowered themselves with bedding material and made their escape. 

Exterior I:

View from NorthEast corner

Exterior II:

View from entrance

In Conversation: 

Castillo San Cristóbal, San Juan, Puerto Rico

Source: Puerta de Tierra

This Castillo is located in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was finished in 1783 and it is the largest fortification built by the Spanish in the Americas. It has defended the city from attacks by the British and Dutch and it has withstood earthquakes. Also worth noting, is the infamous Garita del Diablo or The Devil's Guerite. This "Devil's Sentry Box" is known for its legend of many soldiers disappearing from the lonely area. It is believed that the legend started when a soldier known as Sanchez left his post to be with his lover.  

Castillo San Felipe del Morro, San Juan, Puerto Rico

Source: Maci Wachtel,Afar

The foundation of the Castillo San Felipe del Morro was laid in 1539 but was not considered fully complete until 1787. It has six levels and 60-foot walls. El Morro endured numerous attacks from the English in 1595 and 1598 and the Dutch in 1625. During the Spanish-American War, 1898, the United States Navy ship destroyed the lighthouse but was later restored. 

ENG 202 Connection:

"You made a swell get-away, all right. I guess nobody knows where we are. But they could find us if anyone took a notion of looking. You can't run away nowadays, Elise."
-The Surrounded, (287), D'Arcy McNickle

With few similarities to Coacoochee's escape from the Castillo, Archilde, and Elise escaped to the mountains. Their conversation surrounds the idea of being caught or surviving in the mountains. Indigenous and enslaved people had to run away from their captors and worry about survival and not returning to the place they escaped from. The fear they must have felt when running was a constant in their lives.

Creative Component:

In this collection of photographs, the coquina material is highlighted as it is the crucial element in the success of the Castillo. The coquina is what has made the Castillo survive for more than 300 years of harsh conditions. It proved to be the greatest idea as cannons balls would not destroy or even damage the structure. The coquina simply compressed and absorbed the shock of the hit.