El Castillo (village)
El Castillo | |
---|---|
Comarca and village | |
El Castillo | |
Elevation | 33 m (108 ft) |
El Castillo is a
History
By the late 17th century, the success of the city of Granada had made it a victim of pirate attacks. The most notable of these was in 1670 by the pirate Gallardino, who approached the city from Lake Nicaragua after navigating up the treacherous San Juan River from the Caribbean Sea.[2] Gallardino's successful 1670 raid on Granada emphasized the need for a more effective defense of Nicaragua, and it was obvious to the Spanish colonial authorities that they would have to construct a series of fortifications along the San Juan River in order to protect the citizens of Granada from future attacks.[3]
After an exploratory expedition which took place from January to February 1673,
Construction of the fortress, initially named Fortaleza de la Limpia Pura e Inmaculada Concepción (now known as the Castillo de la Inmaculada Concepción, or Fortress of the Immaculate Conception), was begun on March 10, 1673, and completed in 1675.[3] Despite the construction of the fortress, buccaneer William Dampier plundered the city and set it on fire on April 8, 1685.
The fortress was attacked several times during the 18th century, sometimes by
After Spain entered the
Geography and climate
The topographic features include hilly soil, with good conditions for agriculture and livestock. The village is situated in a tropical rainforest climate, with wet weather conditions. The average temperature is about 25 °C, and annual rainfall ranges from 2,800 to 4,000 mm.[1]
Economy
From 1948 to 1951 and then from 1968 to 1970, the municipality of El Castillo was a major producer of bananas. The bananas were transported to Puerto Limón in Costa Rica, where they were sold by U.S. companies. Cultivation later declined as a result of black sigatoka (a disease caused by Mycosphaerella fijiensis, a fungus of the Ascomycota phylum).[10] The main economic activity today continues to be agriculture, most notably corn and bananas.[1]
Museums and other points of interest
The Fortress of the Immaculate Conception is a historic landmark of Nicaragua, which currently houses a museum and library. It is on a list of sites pending approval as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).[11]
The village of El Castillo is also the most convenient base from which to explore the Indio Maíz Biological Reserve, owing to its proximity. Located only 6 kilometers east of El Castillo by boat, the Bartola River is a tributary to the San Juan River which forms the western border of the Indio Maíz Biological Reserve. This makes a daytrip a practical option for visiting the reserve; one can hire a guide and arrange river transportation in El Castillo.[12]
Infrastructure
There are no roads in El Castillo; the only regularly scheduled transportation to the village is by boat.
Pictures
-
View of the Raudal del Diablo rapids of the San Juan River from the village of El Castillo in southern Nicaragua
-
Map from "A New Voyage Round the World", published in 1697 by William Dampier, the English buccaneer. The Mosquito Coast is marked with a star.
See also
- History of Modern Banana Plantations in the Americas
- Piracy in the Caribbean
References
- ^ a b c Nicaraguan Institute of Municipal Development (2011). "El Castillo: Ficha municipal" (PDF) (in Spanish). Managua: Instituto Nicaragüense de Fomento Municipal. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ^ JSTOR 196656. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ^ S2CID 129880025. Retrieved 2011-05-01.
- ISBN 0-313-28803-8. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
Rafaela Herrera 1762.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-59884-100-8. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ^ "Rafaela Herrera: File#201, Record#1651 (subscription required)" (in Spanish). Guatemala City, Guatemala: Archivo General de Centroamerica. 2009. Retrieved 2011-04-24.
- ^ Carlos Viscasillas (2009). "La Fortaleza de la Inmaculada Concepción de María" (PDF) (in Spanish). Managua, Nicaragua: Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo (AECID). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-23. Retrieved 2011-04-24.
- ISBN 0-14-303936-9. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
Rafaela.
- ^ a b c Ephraim George Squier (1852). Nicaragua: its people, scenery, monuments, and the proposed interoceanic canal. Vol. I. London: Longman, Brown, Green and Longmans. pp. 110–1. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ^ "El Castillo del Río San Juan" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2011-04-22.
- ^ United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (2011). "Fortress of the immaculate Conception". Paris: UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ^ "Indio Maíz Biological Reserve". Managua, Nicaragua: ViaNica.com. 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ^ Nicaragua Channel (2011). "El Castillo, Nicaragua". Seattle, Washington: New Media Holdings, Inc. Retrieved 2011-05-01.
- ^ Let's Go Travel (2011). "Lago de Nicaragua Overview – Practical Information". Cambridge, Massachusetts: Let's Go Publications, Inc. Archived from the original on 2010-12-05. Retrieved 2011-05-01.