Coastal fortifications of colonial Chile
In Colonial times the Spanish Empire diverted significant resources to fortify the Chilean coast as a consequence of Dutch and English raids.[1] During the 16th century the Spanish strategy was to complement the fortification work in its Caribbean ports with forts in the Strait of Magellan. As attempts at settling and fortifying the Strait of Magellan were abandoned the Spanish began to fortify the Captaincy General of Chile and other parts of the west coast of the Americas. The coastal fortifications and defense system was at its peak in the mid-18th century.[2]
History
16th century
In 1578
17th century
In 1600 local
18th century
Ever since the
The coastal city of La Serena in northern Chile was first fortified in the 1730s, about fifty years after it was sacked and torched by the pirate Bartholomew Sharp. By 1805 the city defenses, including a series of batteries, were in a state of abandonment.[13]
In the 1740s the
As consequence of the Seven Years' War the Valdivian Fort System was updated and reinforced from 1764 onwards. Other vulnerable localities of colonial Chile such as Chiloé Archipelago, Concepción, Juan Fernández Islands and Valparaíso were also made ready for an eventual English attack.[14][15] Inspired in the recommendations of former governor Santa María the Spanish founded the "city-fort" of Ancud in 1768 and separated Chiloé from the Captaincy General of Chile into a direct dependency of the Viceroyalty of Peru.[11] As with other 18th-century forts in Chile the establishment of Ancud caused through the new Ancud-Castro road an expansion of local trade and agriculture.[16]
Fortification engineers building 18th century forts imprinted neoclassical designs on them.[16]
19th century
A varied list of 18th-century and early 19th-century authors in Chile, Spain and the rest of Europe concurred on the strategic importance of Valdivia and its harbour.[17][18][19] A notable dissident was the Governor of Osorno Juan Mackenna who argued in an 1810 report for diminishing the size of the garrison protecting Valdivia and distribute resources aimed at it elsewhere.[20] This report was rebuked by Manuel Olaguer Feliú, the chief military engineer involved in the designs of the defences of Valdivia.[20] Mackenna's thesis that controlling fortified positions was unnecessary to conquer a territory was contradicted both by the experiences of the Peninsular War and by Cochrane's decision to attack the Valdivia Fort System itself in 1820.[20] According to historian Gabriel Guarda Mackenna was more concerned about controlling resources than of providing valid arguments.[20]
During the
List of fortifications
Picture | Locality | Coordinates | Date of building and updates | Designer(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Castillo de San Antonio | ||||
Fuerte de Penco | 1684[A] | |||
Castillo de San Clemente | 1596 | |||
Fuerte San Agustín | 1777 | Leandro Badarán | ||
Fuerte Gálvez | 1780 | Leandro Badarán | ||
Valdivian Fort System | 39°52′00″S 73°26′00″W / 39.866667°S 73.433333°W | 1645, 1661, 1671, 1679, 1680, 1764, 1765, 1767 | Juan de Buitrón y Mujica Constantino Vasconcelos José Antonio Birt Juan Garland | |
Carelmapu Fort System | 41°45′3.66″S 73°42′27.90″W / 41.7510167°S 73.7077500°W | 1603, 1720 | ||
Lacui Fort System | 41°49′45″S 73°21′07″W / 41.829167°S 73.351944°W | 1768, 1779 | Miguel de Zorrilla Carlos de Beranger y Renaud | |
Ancud Fort System | 41°51′42″S 73°49′39″W / 41.861667°S 73.8275°W | 1767 or 1768, 1824 | Carlos de Beranger y Renaud | |
Chacao Fort System | 41°49′16.08″S 73°31′8.52″W / 41.8211333°S 73.5190333°W | |||
Castro Fort System | 42°33′7.64″S 73°45′3.87″W / 42.5521222°S 73.7510750°W | |||
Fuerte Tenquehuen | 45°39′S 74°48′W / 45.65°S 74.8°W | 1750 |
Notes
References
- Biblioteca Nacional de Chile. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f Soto Rodríguez, José Antonio (2006). "La defensa hispana del Reino de Chile" (PDF). Tiempo y Espacio (in Spanish). 16. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
- ^ a b c Martinic, Mateo (1977). Historia del Estrecho de Magallanes (in Spanish). Santiago: Andrés Bello. pp. 110–119.
- Biblioteca Nacional de Chile, retrieved January 30, 2014
- ^ Urbina Burgos, Rodolfo (1990). "La rebelión indigena de 1712: Los tributarios de Chiloé contra la encomienda" (PDF). Tiempo y Espacio (in Spanish). 1: 73–86. Retrieved February 22, 2014.
- ^ Clark Berger, Eugene (2006). Permanent war on Peru's periphery: Frontier identity and the politics of conflict in 17th century Chile (PDF) (Ph.D.). Vanderbilt University. p. 13. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
- ^ a b Bengoa 2003, pp. 450–451.
- ^ a b Robbert Kock The Dutch in Chili Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine at coloniavoyage.com
- ^ Lane 1998, pp. 88–92
- ^ a b Lane 1998, p. 90.
- ^ a b c d e Urbina Carrasco, María Ximena (2014). "El frustrado fuerte de Tenquehuen en el archipiélago de los Chonos, 1750: Dimensión chilota de un conflicto hispano-británico". Historia. 47 (I). Retrieved 28 January 2016.
- ^ . Retrieved 27 January 2016.
- ^ Concha, Manuel (1871). "Capítulo tercero. Piratas.". Crónica de La Serena desde su fundación hasta nuestros días 1549-1870 (in Spanish). Serena: Imprenta de la reforma. pp. 65–73.
- ^ "Lugares estratégicos", Memoria chilena (in Spanish), Biblioteca Nacional de Chile, retrieved 30 December 2015
- ^ "Ingeniería Militar durante la Colonia", Memoria chilena (in Spanish), Biblioteca Nacional de Chile, retrieved 30 December 2015
- ^ a b Sahady Villanueva, Antonio; Bravo Sánchez, José; Quilodrán Rubio, Carolina (2010). "Flandes Indiano Chiloense: un patrimonio invencible en el tiempo". Revista de Urbanismo (in Spanish). 23: 1–27. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
- ^ Guarda 1970, p. 21.
- ^ Guarda 1970, p. 22.
- ^ Guarda 1970, p. 23.
- ^ a b c d Guarda 1970, p. 24.
- ^ Guarda, Gabriel (1970). La toma de Valdivia. Santiago de Chile: Zig Zag. pp. 88–98.
Bibliography
- ISBN 956-8303-02-2.
- Lane, Kris E. (1998). Pillageing the Empire: Piracy in the Americas 1500–1750. ISBN 9780765630834.