The Castle of San Luis de Bocachica, also called Fort St. Louis,[1] was a military fortress that defended Cartagena, Colombia. The Spanish built it in the 17th century. After it suffered war damage in the 18th century, they erected a new coastal fortification, the Castle of San Fernando on the same site.
The site on the Island of Tierra Bomba controlled deep-water access to Cartagena's harbour by the channel of Bocachica (or "small entrance" as opposed to Bocagrande, the "big entrance").
During the War of the League of Augsburg, French troops and pirates, attacked the castle on 13 April 1697 and took it on 15 April 1697, but the castle was not destroyed because of the heroic defense of Don Sancho Jimeno and because of the strategic position.
1741 attack
During the War of Jenkins' Ear, Cartagena was sieged by English troops. On 13 March 1741 the British navy captured and severely damaged the castle, and then put it on fire, destroying it completely, during the retreat.[3]
In 1753, the building of a new fortress started, the Castle of San Fernando de Bocachica, by the engineer Antonio de Arévalo, over the ruins of the old castle.[4] The fortress was completed in 1759.[5] It continues today as an important tourist attraction.
