El Castillo (village)
Encyclopedia
El Castillo is a village
of about 1500 people situated on the southern bank of the Río San Juan
(San Juan River) in southern Nicaragua
. It is one of 27 comarca
s of the municipality of El Castillo, a subdivision of the Río San Juan Department. The village is situated approximately 6 kilometers from the border with Costa Rica
, at the Raudal del Diablo rapid
s of the San Juan River. The site on which the village of El Castillo is built was initially established in 1673 as a Spanish fortification
to defend against pirate
attacks upon the city of Granada
(which can be reached by navigating upstream from the Caribbean Sea
along the San Juan River into Lake Nicaragua
). The settlement of El Castillo and its fortress continued to be strategically important to the Captaincy General of Guatemala
until the late 18th century.
After an exploratory expedition which took place from January — February 1673, Captain General Fernando Francisco de Escobedo and military engineer
Martín de Andújar Cantos
decided to build a fortress at the Raudal del Diablo (known at that time as the Raudal de Santa Cruz), atop the ruins of the previous Fuerte de Santa Cruz, which dated from the time of King Philip III of Spain
. The chosen site was the site of the present-day village of El Castillo.
Construction of the fortress, initially named Fortaleza de la Limpia Pura e Inmaculada Concepción (now known as the Castillo de la Inmaculada Concepción
, or Fortress of the Immaculate Conception), was begun on March 10, 1673 and completed in 1675. Despite the construction of the fortress, buccaneer
William Dampier
plundered the city and set it on fire on April 8, 1685.
The fortress was attacked several times during the 18th century, sometimes by miskito or zambo
forces and sometimes by the British. On the morning of July 26, 1762, a combined British and Miskito force laid siege
to the fortress in what would later be called called the Battle for the Río San Juan de Nicaragua
. This expedition, which had originally sailed from a base in Jamaica
, consisted of seven large boats and several canoes. The garrison commander, Don José de Herrera y Sotomayor, had died unexpectedly 11 days earlier. Inspired by acts of heroism displayed by Herrera's 19-year-old daughter Rafaela
(including killing the British commander), pro tempore
garrison commander Lieutenant Juan de Aguilar y Santa Cruz led the defenders to victory in a battle that lasted six days. The British finally lifted their siege and retreated on August 3, 1762. In 1781, King Charles III of Spain
issued a royal decree
granting Rafaela Herrera a pension
for life, as a reward for her heroic defense during that battle.
After Spain entered the American Revolutionary War
in 1779, Major General John Dalling
, the British governor and commander-in-chief of Jamaica
, proposed a second naval expedition
to Nicaragua. The goal was to sail up the San Juan River to Lake Nicaragua and capture the town of Granada, which would effectively cut Spanish America
in half as well as provide potential access to the Pacific Ocean
. During this expedition, which took place in 1780 and later became known as the San Juan Expedition
, Colonel John Polson and Captain Horatio Nelson
led a British attack against the fortress. At the time, the Spanish garrison consisted of 228 men under the command of Juan de Ayssa (who later served as Governor of Nicaragua from 1783 — 1787). The expeditionary force succeeded in capturing the fortress on April 29, 1780, despite the fact that it consisted of only 200 men. The 22-year-old Nelson, in command of HMS Hinchinbrook
, was responsible for leading his men through dense jungle to attack the fortress from a hill in the rear. The British captured the fortress and occupied it for nine months, finally abandoning it in January 1781. The hill is named Lomas de Nelson to this day.
include hilly soil, with good conditions for agriculture and livestock. The village is situated in a tropical rainforest
climate, with wet weather conditions. The average temperature is about 25°C, and annual rainfall ranges from 2,800 to 4,000 mm.
in Costa Rica, where they were sold by U.S. companies. Cultivation later declined as a result of black sigatoka
(a disease caused by Mycosphaerella fijiensis, a fungus
of the Ascomycota
phylum). The main economic activity today continues to be agriculture
, most notably corn and bananas.
by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO
).
The village of El Castillo is also the most convenient base from which to explore the Indio Maíz Biological Reserve
, owing to its proximity. Located only 6 kilometers east of El Castillo by boat, the Bartola River is a tributary to the San Juan River which forms the western border of the Indio Maíz Biological Reserve. This makes a daytrip a practical option for visiting the reserve; one can hire a guide and arrange river transportation in El Castillo.
s plying the San Juan River are the main means of transportation to any other community. The nearest commercial airport is located in San Carlos
, the capital city of the Río San Juan Department. Utilities
serving the city include electricity, drinking water
, sewage treatment
, and cellular network
. The only significant health care facility is the Venta Social de Medicamentos Inmaculada Concepción, a pharmacy located in the center of the village, south of the docks and nearly halfway up Loma Nelson.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
of about 1500 people situated on the southern bank of the Río San Juan
San Juan River (Nicaragua)
The San Juan River , also known as El Desaguadero , is a 192.06 km river that flows east out of Lake Nicaragua into the Caribbean Sea. A large section of the border between Nicaragua and Costa Rica runs on the right bank of the river...
(San Juan River) in southern Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
. It is one of 27 comarca
Comarca
A comarca is a traditional region or local administrative division found in parts of Spain, Portugal, Panama, Nicaragua, and Brazil. The term is derived from the term marca, meaning a "march, mark", plus the prefix co- meaning "together, jointly".The comarca is known in Aragonese as redolada and...
s of the municipality of El Castillo, a subdivision of the Río San Juan Department. The village is situated approximately 6 kilometers from the border with Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, at the Raudal del Diablo rapid
Rapid
A rapid is a section of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. A rapid is a hydrological feature between a run and a cascade. A rapid is characterised by the river becoming shallower and having some rocks exposed above the...
s of the San Juan River. The site on which the village of El Castillo is built was initially established in 1673 as a Spanish fortification
Fortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
to defend against pirate
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
attacks upon the city of Granada
Granada, Nicaragua
Granada is a city in western Nicaragua and the capital of the Granada Department. With an estimated population of 110,326 , it is Nicaragua's fourth most populous city. Granada is historically one of Nicaragua's most important cities, economically and politically...
(which can be reached by navigating upstream from the Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
along the San Juan River into Lake Nicaragua
Lake Nicaragua
Lake Nicaragua or Cocibolca or Granada or is a vast freshwater lake in Nicaragua of tectonic origin. With an area of , it is the largest lake in Central America, the 19th largest lake in the world and the 9th largest in the Americas. It is slightly smaller than Lake Titicaca. With an elevation...
). The settlement of El Castillo and its fortress continued to be strategically important to the Captaincy General of Guatemala
Captaincy General of Guatemala
The Captaincy General of Guatemala , also known as the Kingdom of Guatemala , was an administrative division in Spanish America which covered much of Central America, including what are now the nations of Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, and the Mexican state of Chiapas...
until the late 18th century.
History
By the late 17th century, the success of the city of Granada had made it a victim of pirate attacks. The most notable of these was in 1670 by the pirate Gallardino, who approached the city from Lake Nicaragua after navigating up the treacherous San Juan River from the Caribbean Sea. Gallardino's successful 1670 raid on Granada emphasized the need for a more effective defense of Nicaragua, and it was obvious to the Spanish colonial authorities that they would have to construct a series of fortifications along the San Juan River in order to protect the citizens of Granada from future attacks.After an exploratory expedition which took place from January — February 1673, Captain General Fernando Francisco de Escobedo and military engineer
Military engineer
In military science, engineering refers to the practice of designing, building, maintaining and dismantling military works, including offensive, defensive and logistical structures, to shape the physical operating environment in war...
Martín de Andújar Cantos
Martín de Andújar Cantos
Martín de Andújar Cantos was a Spanish sculptor and architect. He spent much of his life in Tenerife and is considered one of the island's most noted sculptors. Trained by Juan Martínez Montañés, he himself was a teacher of Blas García Ravelo....
decided to build a fortress at the Raudal del Diablo (known at that time as the Raudal de Santa Cruz), atop the ruins of the previous Fuerte de Santa Cruz, which dated from the time of King Philip III of Spain
Philip III of Spain
Philip III , also known as Philip the Pious, was the King of Spain and King of Portugal and the Algarves, where he ruled as Philip II , from 1598 until his death...
. The chosen site was the site of the present-day village of El Castillo.
Construction of the fortress, initially named Fortaleza de la Limpia Pura e Inmaculada Concepción (now known as the Castillo de la Inmaculada Concepción
Fortress of the Immaculate Conception
The Fortress of the Immaculate Conception, is a fortification located on the southern bank of the Río San Juan , in the village of El Castillo in southern Nicaragua. The fortress is situated approximately 6 kilometers from the border with Costa Rica, at the Raudal del Diablo rapids of the San Juan...
, or Fortress of the Immaculate Conception), was begun on March 10, 1673 and completed in 1675. Despite the construction of the fortress, buccaneer
Buccaneer
The buccaneers were privateers who attacked Spanish shipping in the Caribbean Sea during the late 17th century.The term buccaneer is now used generally as a synonym for pirate...
William Dampier
William Dampier
William Dampier was an English buccaneer, sea captain, author and scientific observer...
plundered the city and set it on fire on April 8, 1685.
The fortress was attacked several times during the 18th century, sometimes by miskito or zambo
Zambo
Zambo or Cafuzo are racial terms used in the Spanish and Portuguese Empires and occasionally today to identify individuals in the Americas who are of mixed African and Amerindian ancestry...
forces and sometimes by the British. On the morning of July 26, 1762, a combined British and Miskito force laid siege
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
to the fortress in what would later be called called the Battle for the Río San Juan de Nicaragua
Battle for the Río San Juan de Nicaragua
The Battle for the Río San Juan de Nicaragua was one of several important battles that took place during the Anglo-Spanish War, a subconflict of the Seven Years' War which lasted from December 1761 until February 1763...
. This expedition, which had originally sailed from a base in Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, consisted of seven large boats and several canoes. The garrison commander, Don José de Herrera y Sotomayor, had died unexpectedly 11 days earlier. Inspired by acts of heroism displayed by Herrera's 19-year-old daughter Rafaela
Rafaela Herrera
Rafaela de Herrera y Torreynosa was the daughter of Lieutenant Colonel Don José de Herrera y Sotomayor . She is considered a national heroine of Nicaragua, due to her actions in the defense of the Fortress of the Immaculate Conception during the Battle for the Río San Juan de Nicaragua in...
(including killing the British commander), pro tempore
Pro tempore
Pro tempore , abbreviated pro tem or p.t., is a Latin phrase which best translates to "for the time being" in English. This phrase is often used to describe a person who acts as a locum tenens in the absence of a superior, such as the President pro tempore of the United States Senate.Legislative...
garrison commander Lieutenant Juan de Aguilar y Santa Cruz led the defenders to victory in a battle that lasted six days. The British finally lifted their siege and retreated on August 3, 1762. In 1781, King Charles III of Spain
Charles III of Spain
Charles III was the King of Spain and the Spanish Indies from 1759 to 1788. He was the eldest son of Philip V of Spain and his second wife, the Princess Elisabeth Farnese...
issued a royal decree
Decree
A decree is a rule of law issued by a head of state , according to certain procedures . It has the force of law...
granting Rafaela Herrera a pension
Pension
In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...
for life, as a reward for her heroic defense during that battle.
After Spain entered the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
in 1779, Major General John Dalling
Sir John Dalling, 1st Baronet
General Sir John Dalling, 1st Baronet was a British soldier and colonial administrator.Dalling was the son of John Dalling, of Bungay, Suffolk, by his wife Anne, a daughter of Colonel William Windham of Earsham, Norfolk, who was the second son of William Windham I, of Felbrigg Hall...
, the British governor and commander-in-chief of Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, proposed a second naval expedition
Expeditionary warfare
Expeditionary warfare is used to describe the organization of a state's military to fight abroad, especially when deployed to fight away from its established bases at home or abroad. Expeditionary forces were in part the antecedent of the modern concept of Rapid Deployment Forces...
to Nicaragua. The goal was to sail up the San Juan River to Lake Nicaragua and capture the town of Granada, which would effectively cut Spanish America
Spanish colonization of the Americas
Colonial expansion under the Spanish Empire was initiated by the Spanish conquistadores and developed by the Monarchy of Spain through its administrators and missionaries. The motivations for colonial expansion were trade and the spread of the Christian faith through indigenous conversions...
in half as well as provide potential access to the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. During this expedition, which took place in 1780 and later became known as the San Juan Expedition
San Juan Expedition (1780)
The San Juan Expedition took place between March and November 1780 during the American War of Independence when a British force under the command of John Polson and Captain Horatio Nelson landed on the coast of the present-day Nicaragua, with the aim of sailing up the San Juan River to capture the...
, Colonel John Polson and Captain Horatio Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, KB was a flag officer famous for his service in the Royal Navy, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. He was noted for his inspirational leadership and superb grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics, which resulted in a number of...
led a British attack against the fortress. At the time, the Spanish garrison consisted of 228 men under the command of Juan de Ayssa (who later served as Governor of Nicaragua from 1783 — 1787). The expeditionary force succeeded in capturing the fortress on April 29, 1780, despite the fact that it consisted of only 200 men. The 22-year-old Nelson, in command of HMS Hinchinbrook
HMS Hinchinbrook (1778)
HMS Hinchinbrook was a Royal Navy 28-gun sixth rate frigate. She was Captain Horatio Nelson's second navy command, after the brig , and his first as post-captain.-Privateering career:...
, was responsible for leading his men through dense jungle to attack the fortress from a hill in the rear. The British captured the fortress and occupied it for nine months, finally abandoning it in January 1781. The hill is named Lomas de Nelson to this day.
Geography and climate
The topographic featuresTopography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
include hilly soil, with good conditions for agriculture and livestock. The village is situated in a tropical rainforest
Tropical rainforest
A tropical rainforest is an ecosystem type that occurs roughly within the latitudes 28 degrees north or south of the equator . This ecosystem experiences high average temperatures and a significant amount of rainfall...
climate, with wet weather conditions. The average temperature is about 25°C, and annual rainfall ranges from 2,800 to 4,000 mm.
Economy
From 1948 to 1951 and then from 1968 to 1970, the municipality of El Castillo was a major producer of bananas. The bananas were transported to Puerto LimónLimón
Puerto Limón, commonly known as Limón , is the capital city and main hub of Limón province, as well as of the cantón of Limón in Costa Rica. It has a population of about 60,000 , and is home to a thriving Afro-Caribbean community...
in Costa Rica, where they were sold by U.S. companies. Cultivation later declined as a result of black sigatoka
Black sigatoka
Black Sigatoka is a leaf spot disease of banana plants caused by ascomycete fungusMycosphaerella fijiensis . Plants with leaves damaged by the disease may have up to 50% lower yield of fruit...
(a disease caused by Mycosphaerella fijiensis, a fungus
Fungus
A fungus is a member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds , as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, Fungi, which is separate from plants, animals, and bacteria...
of the Ascomycota
Ascomycota
The Ascomycota are a Division/Phylum of the kingdom Fungi, and subkingdom Dikarya. Its members are commonly known as the Sac fungi. They are the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 64,000 species...
phylum). The main economic activity today continues to be agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, most notably corn and bananas.
Museums and other points of interest
The Fortress of the Immaculate Conception is a historic landmark of Nicaragua, which currently houses a museum and library. It is on a list of sites pending approval as a World Heritage SiteWorld Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
).
The village of El Castillo is also the most convenient base from which to explore the Indio Maíz Biological Reserve
Indio Maíz Biological Reserve
Indio Maíz Biological Reserve measures about 4,500 square kilometers and is situated on the southeastern corner of Nicaragua bordering the San Juan River. It is the second largest expanse of lowland rainforest reserve in Nicaragua and is referred to as "the gem of Central American nature reserves"...
, owing to its proximity. Located only 6 kilometers east of El Castillo by boat, the Bartola River is a tributary to the San Juan River which forms the western border of the Indio Maíz Biological Reserve. This makes a daytrip a practical option for visiting the reserve; one can hire a guide and arrange river transportation in El Castillo.
Infrastructure
There are no roads in El Castillo; the only regularly scheduled transportation to the village is by boat. Walking or bicycle are the only significant means of transportation within the village. RiverboatRiverboat
A riverboat is a ship built boat designed for inland navigation on lakes, rivers, and artificial waterways. They are generally equipped and outfitted as work boats in one of the carrying trades, for freight or people transport, including luxury units constructed for entertainment enterprises, such...
s plying the San Juan River are the main means of transportation to any other community. The nearest commercial airport is located in San Carlos
San Carlos, Río San Juan
San Carlos is the capital city of the municipality of San Carlos and of the Río San Juan Department of Nicaragua. The city proper has a population of roughly 12,174, while the city and surrounding communities contain 37,461 as of 2005. San Carlos is positioned on the confluence of Lake Nicaragua...
, the capital city of the Río San Juan Department. Utilities
Public utility
A public utility is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service . Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and regulation ranging from local community-based groups to state-wide government monopolies...
serving the city include electricity, drinking water
Drinking water
Drinking water or potable water is water pure enough to be consumed or used with low risk of immediate or long term harm. In most developed countries, the water supplied to households, commerce and industry is all of drinking water standard, even though only a very small proportion is actually...
, sewage treatment
Sewage treatment
Sewage treatment, or domestic wastewater treatment, is the process of removing contaminants from wastewater and household sewage, both runoff and domestic. It includes physical, chemical, and biological processes to remove physical, chemical and biological contaminants...
, and cellular network
Cellular network
A cellular network is a radio network distributed over land areas called cells, each served by at least one fixed-location transceiver known as a cell site or base station. When joined together these cells provide radio coverage over a wide geographic area...
. The only significant health care facility is the Venta Social de Medicamentos Inmaculada Concepción, a pharmacy located in the center of the village, south of the docks and nearly halfway up Loma Nelson.