Castillo de San Felipe
Castillo de San Felipe, in Puerto de la Cruz, began life as one of four fortines tasked with defending the town. Construction was set in motion in 1599, and the fortin was finished in 1604, placed in a coastal position overlooking the harbour area at the mouth of the barranco de San Felipe. Its early effectiveness had already been tested: the site first held two low platforms armed with small guns that had helped repel a pirate assault carried out by five ships. Over the centuries, the castle’s role remained tied to maritime threat and refuge for corsairs. Early captains included Juan Antonio de Franchy, appointed in 1644, along with several others whose names appear among the line of alcaides up to José Agustín Machado Espínola, named in 1725. By the nineteenth century it had deteriorated and was reformed, and in 1878 its artillery was removed and the site was handed to the town hall for use connected to nursing and a lazaretto. …
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