Place

Courtyard

The Plaza de Armas courtyard is accessed through the Sally Port room.  The courtyard is a 100 foot square open area. The wall around the courtyard is about 40 feet tall. In the center of the courtyard is a 75 foot square grass lawn, that may be cordoned off by a rope, suspended from metal posts, about three feet high. A stone walkway surrounds the lawn. Most rooms in the lower level of the Castillo can be accessed from this courtyard. Thresholds into the rooms vary in style. Two steps to enter, and the rest are flush with the walkway. Most rooms have a barred window above the entrance and on either side.  This audio description is of the view as if you have you walked about 10 feet out into the courtyard. The features, from left to right, include  The Flag Room is slightly behind you, at 8 o’clock.  A well is at 9 o’clock in the west corner of the courtyard. It has an 8 foot diameter circular cement wall that rises 2 feet high. It is covered with a circular planked wooden top.    Along the left, or west, wall of the courtyard are: Casement 4, The Supply room, The Siege room, Two rooms with doors closed to the public, and The Theater.  Straight ahead, along the far, or north, wall are: The British Room, The Second Spanish Room, At 12 o’clock, The Chapel, which has a stone framed arched entrance, with finials at each corner, The American Indian Room Room 16, and The Treasury Room.  There is a cannon on display at the northeast corner of the grassy area roped off with cable, strung between metal posts.  Along the right, or east, wall are: Two rooms with doors closed to the public, The Artillery Complex,  Two rooms with doors closed to the public, and The Restrooms. To your right, on the wall behind you, at 4 o’clock, is a staircase leading up to the Gundeck, on top of the Castillo.

Quick Facts

Accessible Rooms, Benches/Seating, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Information - Ranger/Staff Member Present, Information Kiosk/Bulletin Board, Restroom, Restroom - Accessible, Water - Bottle-Filling Station, Wheelchair Accessible

The central courtyard of the Castillo, which was originally all dirt, served a dual purpose. During peacetime, soldiers would assemble here to drill with their muskets. As the common soldier of the 18th century was illiterate, musket and cannon procedures had to be learned by repetitive drilling, not by reading instruction manuals. Once the men had their drills committed to muscle memory, they would not forget them during the heat of battle. It was also here that the citizens of St. Augustine could take refuge when the town was under siege. In this sense, the Castillo was a true castle, built to protect the entire community in times of war. In 1702, the city was attacked by the English, and roughly 1,500 soldiers and civilians were packed into the Castillo for 51 days! They brought materials from their homes to set up tents and rough lean-to's for shelter inside the exposed courtyard. They could not take refuge in the rooms themselves, as they were filled with the supplies necessary to feed and defend everyone.

Castillo de San Marcos National Monument

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Last updated: March 11, 2021