Place

San Carlos Bastion

If viewed from a bird’s eye, overhead, the Castillo is square in shape, with four diamond-shaped structures extending from each corner. The diamond shaped structures, called bastions, are connected by a path called a gundeck. The San Carlos Bastion is located on the northeast corner of the Castillo.  The view includes the north grassy lawn of the Castillo, the moat, the U.S. Army-built Hot Shot furnace, the sea wall, and the Matanzas Bayfront.  The bastion has low walls on the east side between 2 to 5 feet tall. Each side of the diamond-shaped structure is unique. Facing the bastion, and looking northeast, from the gundeck, going from left to right:  The north and west facing walls are slightly taller than the east and south facing walls. As you enter from the courtyard, the west facing wall on the left. The west wall is 5 feet tall with two cutouts.  The north facing wall has no cutouts. There is a wayside exhibit along the north facing wall, looking east towards the bell tower and the bay.  A chimney, made of blocks with a capped vent, protrudes up from the floor near the north wall.  A cylindrically shaped bell tower with a domed top is at the northeast corner of the bastion. You can walk into the tower. The interior is 37 feet tall, with two arched windows at 15 feet, providing a view through the tower.  The east facing wall is significantly lower than the north and west facing walls. It has platforms, each about one foot sloping to 6 inches feet and extending out from the wall about 18 feet. Three cast iron cannons sit on top of wooden carriages, which stand about 3 feet tall and have four wooden wheels wrapped with iron straps. The cannons face out to the Bayfront over the low wall.  The south facing wall is very low, about two feet high. It has no cutouts.

Quick Facts

Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Scenic View/Photo Spot

The design of the fort consists of four diamond-shaped bastions and four connecting walls known as curtains. Cannon were mounted in the embrasures, the cut-outs in the parapet walls. These walls protected the cannon and their crews from incoming fire. The east curtain, facing the water, originally had a parapet wall and embrasures like the other curtains. However, anticipating that most attacks would come from the ocean, the Spanish lowered the wall so that more cannon could be mounted there without limitation. The tall tower in this bastion originally had a bell that would be used to warn the city's residents of oncoming attacks.

Castillo de San Marcos National Monument

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Last updated: February 11, 2021