The Bulwark of Santa Cruz

The Bulwark of Santa Cruz was, together with the Bulwarks of Santo Domingo and Santiago, one of the first sections of the walled city to be constructed. They were developed to protect the strip of sand that joined them to […]

The Bulwark of Santa Cruz was, together with the Bulwarks of Santo Domingo and Santiago, one of the first sections of the walled city to be constructed. They were developed to protect the strip of sand that joined them to Bocagrande, the most exposed part of the city and the place from which Drake had attacked in 1586.

It was begun about 1614 by order of the governor, Diego de Acuña, flanked by the Bulwark of Santo Domingo on the right. Its plan was designed by the engineer Cristóbal de Roda following the project proposed in 1595 by Bautista Antonelli, also an engineer.

A large part of the Bulwark of Santa Cruz was destroyed after the French attack in 1697 and the engineer Juan de Herrera y Sotomayor directed its repair at the beginning of the XVIII century. Notwithstanding, in 1713 and 1714, after abundant storms, the bulwark suffered several collapses and its restoration was again made necessary. The wall was rebuilt as well as the counter-wall, with three bomb-proof vaults, the central vault containing an entrance, and the side vaults having warehouses for explosives and ammunition.