December 5, 2009
Coastal defense
The historic Fort Santiago built by the Spaniards in the late 16th century continued to be used as such all the way to the 1940s, when it was the headquarters of the Philippine Division of the U.S. Army. Old canons can still be found scattered throughout the fort today, though I don't know if they are relics from the Spanish or American era. This one is trained on Manila Bay, which used to be much nearer the walls before land was reclaimed from the sea. Trees, weeds and moss now surround and grow on the old fortification. I like that.
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12 comments:
I find old fortifications to be fascinating. This past summer we visited the Spanish fort in St. Augustine, Florida. It is about the same age as your Fort Santiago
I love walking through old forts too. We have several here in the northwest. I think it's the kid in us that never leaves.
He visto que haces comentarios en el blog Barcelona Photoblogger de mi vecino Carlos Lorenzo. Nosotros somos amigos.
Hacia a donde apunta ese cañon?
A brick fort and guns, a familiar scene here. It's amazing how these things could be almost identical across the globe...
Nice Post. I love your History. Worth reading. We have an old Fort around here that was once used to protect against the Indians. It's not far from here.
Les
As the Philippines are made up of thousands of island coastal defence must have been always a tricky thing to ensure, I guess...
God bless you!
Cezar
P.S.: Wikipedia says it's the 5th longest coastline in the world!
Hilda: I am so excited for you to be enjoying the celebration at your university. I'm not sure what you do there or which university it is; however, it is obvious you are very connected and proud to be a part of this place. Hopefully, you will post some photos, especially of December 12th!
Fabulous find!
Old forts are wonderful places to wander about and take photos! That canon is old, though...not WWII I would think.
You are having a wonderful weekend, right?
Yes, nature conquers all.
Great shot, Hilda. Its nice to a the architecture and history saved.
Interesting! Louis et Mme la Vache visited the now-closed Fort Cronkhite in the Marin Headlands last Sunday. In WWII, there were 16" guns, capable of firing a 2,000 pound shell 26 miles, mounted facing the Pacific in the event of a Japanese attack on the coast. In the Cold War era, the 16" guns were replaced by Nike missiles. The base is no longer an Army base, but is used by artistic and educational groups now.
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