Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
grassy
parade grounds
, where the ruined walls of the officers' quarters, barracks, kitchen
and artillery emplacement are visible to your left. More impressive are the lower and upper
batteries
, their cannons pointing out across the bay.
Mirador El Perú
If you've time, it's worth crossing over the road from Fuerte Santiago for the steep five-
minute climb to the
Mirador El Perú
. The mirador is on the site of a watchtower of the
former
Fortaleza Santiago de la Gloria
, whose scarcely visible overgrown ruins are now
bisected by the main road below.
Fuerte San Fernando
Across the bay from Fuerte Santiago • Open access • Free • Take a water-taxi ($3) from the jetty by Fuerte San-
tiago
Across the bay from Fuerte Santiago you can make out what little remains of
Fuerte San
Fernando
peeking through dense foliage. As with the other forts, many of the original stones
were plundered for construction of the canal. Though smaller than its sibling fort, the scenic
spot gives a different perspective on the town.
Casa Real de la Aduana
Plaza Central • Daily 8am-4pm • $5
The small
Plaza Central
in the town centre is dominated by the two-storey coral stone and
brick
Casa Real de la Aduana
, built in 1638 to replace an earlier wooden structure. A third
of the world's gold, alongside copious other treasures, passed through this customs house
for over a century; there was only one entrance and one exit to reduce fraud and theft and
to ensure the Crown got its full royal cut of the spoils. Destroyed in an earthquake in 1882,
it underwent a $1 million restoration in 1997 and now houses a small, diverting two-room
museum
containing models of the original forts, costumes and other exhibits including the
obligatory pile of cannon balls. However, it's debatable whether it merits the hefty entrance
fee.
Fuerte San Jerónimo
Behind the Casa Real de la Aduana • Open access • Free
Down by the waterside and hemmed in by housing lies
Fuerte San Jerónimo
, the town's
largest and most impressive ruin. The former
parade ground
stretches along the eighteen
gun emplacements of the lower battery, with nearly all the original rusting cannons intact.
It's worth walking along to the high battery, where you can still see the rainwater reservoir,
storage rooms for gunpowder and the latrines, and get a soldier's-eye view of the entrance of
the bay.
Iglesia de San Felipe
Main road • 6am-6pm • Free
