Solano Castle
Encyclopedia
San Esteban National Park
The San Esteban National Park 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....
, south of Puerto Cabello
Puerto Cabello
Puerto Cabello is a city on the north coast of Venezuela. It is located in Carabobo State about 75 km west of Caracas. As of 2001, the city has a population of around 154,000 people. The city is the home to the largest port in the country and is thus a vital cog in the country's vast oil...
, in Carabobo
Carabobo
Carabobo State is one of the 23 states of Venezuela, located in the north of the country, about two hours by car from Caracas. The capital city of this state is Valencia, which is also the country's main industrial center. The state's area is 4,650 km² and had an estimated population of...
, Venezuela. It is a military castle built in 1766 by order of governor of Venezuela, Don José Solano y Bote. It was constructed in the area referred to as Cresta de Vigía (or "lookout crest") and was intended to protect the city and harbour from naval attacks. During the Venezuelan War of Independence
Venezuelan War of Independence
-The First Republic:Criollos resented the mercantilist policies of Spain. Trade was only allowed in Pacific ports which was a terrible burden for Argentina, Paraguay and the Caribbean colonies. This is significant as Cuba and Puerto Rico were forced to allow free trade in 1763 by Britain and...
, Solano Castle saw a great deal of military activity.
Eighteenth century
Before the construction of the castle, the hill (approximately 500 metres in altitude) was a base where they had installed an artillery batteryArtillery battery
In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems...
which served to respond to violent attacks from the British navy in 1743. The hill provided a clear view in all directions, making it ideal as a lookout point, allowing them to supervise sailing travelers and the activities in the nearby port. The construction of this lookout was decided by Juan Gayago y Lascan, as more permanent and more effective surveillance from the hill was sought.
Shortly afterwards a captain by the name of Don José Solano y Bote decided to order the construction of a fort with artillery in order to strengthen the defense of the port and the city. For this project he recruited a number of military engineers in his confidence for their experience.
The castle was constructed with slave labor and prisoners from La Guaira
La Guaira
La Guaira is the capital city of the Venezuelan state of Vargas and the country's chief port. It was founded in 1577 as an outlet for Caracas, to the southeast. The town and the port were badly damaged during the December 1999 floods and mudslides that affected much of the region...
and Castillo San Felipe (also known as Castillo del Libertador). The construction was unique in Puerto Cabello, as it was built with nearby rocks. as well as stone from the quarries in the region.
Solano Castle was not constructed thinking only of protecting the port visited by pirates, traders, and travelers; it would also provide security to the riverbed of San Esteban and Carabobo path between San Esteban and Valencia.
Engineers Participating in the Construction
- Military engineer Juan Amador Courten, known as the constructor of fortifications in PerúPeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
(El Callao) and in ChileChileChile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. King Felipe V of Spain sent him to Castilla la Vieja in 1735, to work on the reconstruction of Fuerte de la Concepción. In 1737 he was sent to the royal site of San Idelfonso de Segovia to work on the construction of Palacio Real de La Granja de San Ildefonso, while at the same time building six maps of the cities of MadridMadridMadrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, NoblejasNoblejasNoblejas is a municipality located in the province of Toledo, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. According to the 2006 census , the municipality has a population of 3332 inhabitants....
, and ChinchónChinchónChinchón is a Spanish town 50 km southeast of Madrid. It is part of the Comarca de Las Vegas.-Overview:The Plaza Mayor is roughly circular, surrounded by 15th-17th century galleried houses and cafés and is used as a temporary bullring. The church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción was built in...
. On the 22nd of July in 1739 he was commissioned on royal order to construct the irrigation ditches in Colmenar de OrejaColmenar de OrejaColmenar de Oreja is a municipality of the Community of Madrid, Spain. It was subject to a seven-month siege in 1139....
. In 1740 he joined the MallorcaMallorcaMajorca or Mallorca is an island located in the Mediterranean Sea, one of the Balearic Islands.The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Cabrera Archipelago is administratively grouped with Majorca...
Infantry as a lieutenant colonel and chief engineer.
- Juan Gayangos Láscari, who had the title of ordinary military engineer and was sent to Venezuela to supply Courten. Gayangos was recommended by Diego Bondik, who was the Engineering Director in Spain. For his part, Gayango Láscari had worked occasionally on fortifications for the city of CádizCádizCadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
, but had not been a prominent engineer on the projects. However, the developing colonial city of Puerto Cabello displays his work in important landmarks.
- Military engineer Miguel Roncali, who is also known as Conde de Roncali. He studied at the Academia de Guardias de Corps, and was a collaborator in the work done on the Canal del Campo de Castilla. In 1763 he was promoted to the position of Second Engineer, and in 1792 he was commissioned to complete various projects, including the building of the Real Aduana de Barcelona, a public fountain, and an ammunition factory. He is sent to Venezuela in April of 1765
- Engineer Miguel González Dávila: in 1773 he was promoted and began to work primarily on issues concerning the defense of Puerto Cabello. In March of 1774 he presented this report concerning the city's fortifications:
- Military engineer José Antonio Espelius: his work mostly occurred in CádizCádizCadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
and he was a student of Field Marshal Don Ignacio Sala, supervised by Conde de Aranda. He participated in the projects concerned with navigation of the Guadalquivir River in Sevilla. He traveled to Venezuela in 1772 and was one of the primary reference analysts of the war theatre of the castle. Immediately upon arrival, he wrote a report that was sent to the General Captain of the city of CaracasCaracasCaracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
, Don José Carlos Agüero, informing him of the value of the geographic location of the port.
Artillery
Solano Castle, also known as Solano lookout, had artilleryArtillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
to assist in safeguarding the ways to Borburata, San Esteban y Goaigoaza. The protection of the area provided by the artillery was invaluable beyond just safeguarding the port and the province, because it was a region rich in agriculture.
| Iron cannon Cannon A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,... s |
Batteries | Military Personnel |
|---|---|---|
| 4 24-inch calibre | 2 24-inch calibre cannons | 1 Captain |
| 4 4-inch calibre | 4 4-inch calibre cannons | 1 Lieutenant |
| 2 2-inch calibre cannons | — | 24 Artillery soldiers |
| 10 Swivel-guns with line and whip-staff | — | 38 Militia soldiers |
18th Century Reports
The infantry lieutenant-colonel José Antonio del Pozo y Sucre (an engineer) reached Puerto Cabello at the end of 1787. He presented a report on the true state of the fortifications at the time.There were serious problems with water storage for the settlers of what was called "Puerto Cabello Square", started the report:
Within the report there is an interestingly-written description of Puerto Cabello:
In reference to the fortresses, the Engineer José del Pozo had very precise opinions, particularly concerning the closure of the Mirador (viewpoint):
Maintenance offices
On the 7 and 26 August 1814, the respective maintenance offices for Mirador de Solano and Vigías gathered. According to José Mariano Aloy the fortifications of Puerto Cabello needed special attention; the offices would require:Famous visitors describe the Castle
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the country was visited by important figures of the time. These visitors commented on Solano Castle, describing it in different ways, but capturing its imposing structure and functioning for the future in reports and writing.The most famous of its visitors include Agostino Codazzi
Agostino Codazzi
Giovanni Battista Agostino Codazzi was an Italian soldier, scientist, geographer and cartographer...
, Alexander von Humboldt
Alexander von Humboldt
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander Freiherr von Humboldt was a German naturalist and explorer, and the younger brother of the Prussian minister, philosopher and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt...
, Louis Philippe, comte de Ségur, Karl Ferdinand Appun, Joseph Luis de Cisneros, Miguel María Lisboa, Wilhelm Sievers
Wilhelm Sievers
Friedrich Wilhelm Sievers was a German geologist and geographer. He served as professor of geography at the university of Giessen.Sievers was born into a merchant family in Hamburg...
, Francisco Depons, Dauxion Lavaysse, Antonio Manzano, Willian Duane, Jenny Talleney, Robert Semple and James Mudie Spence.
Carl Ferdinand Appun
Carl Ferdinand AppunCarl Ferdinand Appun
Carl Ferdinand Appun was a German naturalist.On the recommendation of Alexander von Humboldt Humboldt Appun was employed by Frederick William IV of Prussia as a botanist in Venezuela where excepting a one year break in Germany, he spent ten years exploring the flora...
entered Venezuelan territory in 1849, at only 29 years of age, and described the region with great affection. He refers to the Mirador as follows:
Robert Semple
Perhaps for commercial or personal reasons, he arrived in Puerto Cabello in 1810/1811. He describes the region and refers to Solano Castle thus:Wilhelm Sievers
A geographer. Born in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and a relative of Karl Ferdinand Appun, he was in Puerto Cabello in the final decades of the 19th century. He was able to compile some interesting facts, which he published along with useful observations and details of the Venezuelan customs of the time. He carried out a study on the state of politics in Venezuela, and relates some events which started in Puerto Cabello during its occupation by the Legalist forces of General Joaquín Crespo
Joaquín Crespo
Joaquín Sinforiano de Jesús Crespo Torres was a politician, soldier, a member of the Great Liberal Party of Venezuela and President of Venezuela from 1884 to 1886 and again from 1892 to 1898...
, as well as referring to the Castle.
Pedro Carujo, prisoner in the fortress (1829)
Pedro Carujo, from Barcelona, AnzoáteguiBarcelona, Anzoátegui
Barcelona is the capital of Anzoátegui State, Venezuela and was founded in 1671. Together with Puerto La Cruz, Lecheria and Guanta, Barcelona forms one of the most important urban areas of Venezuela with a population of approximately 950,000.-History:...
, was a soldier and journalist and one of the leaders of the 1835 Reform Revolutions. His parents were José Carujo, a Royalist official born in the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
, and Juana Hernández, Venezuelan by birth. He was part of the Orinoco battalion quartered in Angostura
Ciudad Bolívar
Ciudad Bolívar is the capital of Venezuela's southeastern Bolivar State. It was founded with the name Angostura in 1764, renamed in 1846, and, as of 2010, had an estimated population of 350,691....
in 1819. He was renowned for his intellectual abilities.
He did not share the ideals of the Liberator Simón Bolívar
Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Yeiter, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and political leader...
, was openly opposed to any dictator and considered Bolívar to be a tyrant. The Liberator was Supreme Chief of the political powers of Gran Colombia
Gran Colombia
Gran Colombia is a name used today for the state that encompassed much of northern South America and part of southern Central America from 1819 to 1831. This short-lived republic included the territories of present-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Panama, northern Peru and northwest Brazil. The...
and Carujo became his personal enemy, resulting in attempts on his life. He participated in a group of conspirators made up of officials.
On 28 September 1828 he attempted to assassinate Bolívar in his home in Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
, but the plan was thwarted thanks to the intervention of Manuela Sáenz
Manuela Sáenz
Doña Manuela Sáenz was born in Quito, Viceroyalty of New Granada and died in Paita, Peru. She was a revolutionary hero of South America, who also became the mistress of the South American revolutionary leader, Simón Bolívar...
.
Although Carujo was saved from the firing squad, he was put on the frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
Colombia and sent to Venezuela. He was taken as a political prisoner
Political prisoner
According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, a political prisoner is ‘someone who is in prison because they have opposed or criticized the government of their own country’....
with no rights. The ship's commanders were English (the first in command) and Spanish (the second), both admirers of Bolívar. His punishment lasted beyond his time on the boat; on removing his shackles in order to bring him ashore his arms were tied to an ox, and he was led through the most public places in Puerto Cabello to be shown as a fugitive, assassin and criminal. The frigate reached Venezuela on 3 March 1829.
The next stage was to bring him to the Watchtower fort, well guarded between lines of soldiers, and he was shut into a vault with little air and almost no light. The commandant of the fort took charge of him and made him fully experience the severity of the crime he had committed - it was Antonio Valero who took charge of this, being himself a personal enemy of Carujo.
His stay in the fortress lasted five months, in which he prepared for his escape, thinking that he was being imprisoned while the "tyrant" (as he referred to Bolívar) was in power. He managed to escape on 2 August, but left a written justification of his flight.
Telegraph from the Viewpoint (1836)
In 1836, with the castle almost abandoned and only occupied by soldiers, it was decided to install a telegraph in the Viewpoint. The system installed was a semaphore line, a strong and tall wooden post which transmits with combinations of a mobile-arm mechanism. It was used on different occasions and worked for several years.The document sent to Puerto Cabello on the use of the castle as a telegraphy base was the following:
Bombardment of Puerto Cabello
In 1875 Carlos BrandtCarlos Brandt
Carlos Brandt was a Venezuelan author, historian, philosopher and naturopath.-Biography:BackgroundDr...
, a writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, polyglot
Multilingualism
Multilingualism is the act of using, or promoting the use of, multiple languages, either by an individual speaker or by a community of speakers. Multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. Multilingualism is becoming a social phenomenon governed by the needs of...
and philosopher who came to be recognised as a distinguished personage, was born in a village in Carabobo. He made a detailed description of the events in which La Guaira
La Guaira
La Guaira is the capital city of the Venezuelan state of Vargas and the country's chief port. It was founded in 1577 as an outlet for Caracas, to the southeast. The town and the port were badly damaged during the December 1999 floods and mudslides that affected much of the region...
and Puerto Cabello
Puerto Cabello
Puerto Cabello is a city on the north coast of Venezuela. It is located in Carabobo State about 75 km west of Caracas. As of 2001, the city has a population of around 154,000 people. The city is the home to the largest port in the country and is thus a vital cog in the country's vast oil...
would become involved during the Venezuelan Crisis of 1902
Venezuela Crisis of 1902–1903
The Venezuela Crisis of 1902 was a naval blockade from December of 1902 to February of 1903 imposed against Venezuela by Britain, Germany and Italy over President Cipriano Castro's refusal to pay foreign debts and damages suffered by European citizens in a recent Venezuelan civil war...
. He explained how the castle played an important part in defending the region against stronger enemies.
During the naval blockade of Venezuela, the ships Charybdis and SMS Vineta reached Puerto Cabello under British and German flags respectively and immediately attacked the city, justifying this action by mentioning some offenses against the officers and crew of a British merchant ship named Topaze which had been in the docks of the old customs-house, in December 1902.
Brandt describes these occurrences, calling them "the famous Solano Castle shooting":
Abandonment (1958)
The fort was abandoned by the military. This occurred during the reign of the government of Wolfgang LarrazábalWolfgang Larrazábal
Wolfgang Enrique Larrazábal Ugueto , commander of the Venezuelan Navy, became President of Venezuela following the overthrow of Marcos Pérez Jiménez on 23 January 1958....
, who was president of the government of Venezuela in 1958.
All of the weapons systems and radar missiles were deactivated and retired, as it was alleged that the site was obsolete for military purposes and thus the maintenance of the armaments and radars installed there was not justifiable. A group of young intellectuals from Puerto Cabello made a symbolic example of Solano Castle, decrying the disassembly of the work unnecessary. The ideologists and leaders of this group later disappeared completely from the public eye.
The houses that had housed the troops went to ruins through the action of vandals who gathered at the site, which was neglected by the authorities. The canons were moved to the Venezuelan Military Academy. At the time, local authorities were not interested in what happened to the fort, and it was dismantled without consideration for its status as a historic landmark of Puerto Cabello, and integral to its heritage.
The Porteñazo (1962)
During the 60s Venezuela experienced two military uprisings in which the Venezuelan Communist PartyCommunist Party of Venezuela
The Communist Party of Venezuela is a Marxist-Leninist political party, and the oldest continuously existing party in Venezuela...
participated. The first occurred on 4 May 1962 and was known as the Carupanazo, and the second, the Porteñazo, occurred on 2 June of the same year. The Marine Infantry Battalion
Venezuelan Marine Corps
The Venezuelan Bolivarian Marine Corps are known as the Bolivarian Marine Infantry or formally as the Marine Division "General Simon Bolivar" and is part of the Venezuelan Navy...
of Carúpano
Carúpano
Carúpano is a city in the eastern Venezuelan state of Sucre. It is located on the Venezuelan Caribbean coast at the opening of two valleys, some 120 km east of the capital of Sucre, Cumaná...
, the National Guard
Venezuelan National Guard
The Venezuelan National Guard , also called the Armed Forces of Cooperation , is one of the four components of the National Armed Forces of Venezuela. The National Guard can serve as gendarmerie, perform civil defense roles, or serve as a reserve light infantry force...
and Puerto Cabello's naval base participated in them.
These insurrections took place due to the difficult political situation in Venezuela under the presidency of Rómulo Betancourt
Rómulo Betancourt
Rómulo Ernesto Betancourt Bello , known as "The Father of Venezuelan Democracy", was President of Venezuela from 1945 to 1948 and again from 1959 to 1964, as well as leader of Accion Democratica, Venezuela's dominant political party in the 20th century...
(1959–1964).
The rebellion was dissipated in the dawn of 3 June, leaving more than 400 dead and 700 injured, and by 6 June the last rebels were found entrenched in Castle Solano.
Testimonies
Different stories retelling the event mourned Venezuela, taking the rebellion as an unjust and unnecessary act of war. Many reconciled what had happened according to their personal and political affiliations.Alí Brett wrote, according to his investigation:
He concludes his investigation by saying:
The fort today
Today, Solano Castle is a tourist attraction where visitors can learn of the history of the area. The site contains a restaurant, holds tours, and has visiting hours from 8:00am to 6:00pm daily.Popular Beliefs
Within the city, several legends had been created in which Solano Castle was the main character. People said that there was a cave connecting the fortress with the castle, supposedly crossing under the sea from one to the other. There was also a retired soldier, a lieutenant colonel who once served the Castle in an official capacity, who at his advanced age enjoyed telling of how he had found a chestChest (furniture)
A chest is one of the oldest forms of furniture. It is typically a rectangular structure with four walls and a liftable lid, for storage. The interior space may be subdivided...
in a tunnel under the fort, containing discoloured uniforms and documents which had been the property of José Solano, who had been a Captain after whom the Castle was names. He embellished the story saying:
What this retired soldier did not know is that Solano never visited the place which took his name.
In the Castle there is a tank for storing rain-water which was used in colonial times, on which popular legends are based.
In the military ranks there was a young man from Barlovento, a village in western Venezuela, who had died at the entrance to the Puerto Cabello graveyard. This young soldier was called Roso Busich, and he served in the Castle. It was said that on passing the long cemetery wall, his skull would appear on the walkway along which one had to walk.
The entire San Esteban road accumulated a series of stories, anecdotes, historical processes and other trivia, true or invented by their protagonists.
External links
- Artículo y Fotos de Porteñazo en FAV-Club.com
- Cámara de Comercio de Puerto Cabello Parque Nacional San Esteban
- Puerto Turístico de Puerto Cabello
- Venezuela Tuya Portal turístico
- Fortín Solano y lugares turísticos de Venezuela
- Fortín Solano en Playas Venezolanas.com
- Secteraría de Educación de Carabobo – Sitios turísticos junto al Fortín Solano
This article incorporates material from Venezuelatuya.com, by the virtue of authorization provided to add content and images and publish them under the GFDL license.
This article incorporates material from FAV-Club.com, by the virtue of authorization provided to add content and images and publish them under the GFDL license.