Pirates! by Exotic Chicken

Pirates! The constant attack of pirates made it necessary for Spain to to protect its food and supplies on Rio Dulce.  Rio Dulce is a safe harbor for boats in hurricane season.  This explains why there is a castle in Guatemala.   King Felipe of Spain ordered a defense tower to be built to protect against pirates in 1595.  As the pirate attacks increased, the tower eventually grew into a fortress and a castle.

We kayaked to Castillo de San Felipe this morning.  It was made with stone and mortar.  We saw the moat, the drawbridge, the portcullis and the guard towers.  There was also a chapel, a jail, a courtyard, the gunpowder room and tunnels between various rooms and quarters.  My favorite parts were the canons and the narrow stairways to the towers.    The castle looked awesome from the water.  My Dad took a lot of pictures from our kayak.  I'm glad we went inside the castle too.