Best castle destinations in South America
Best castle destinations in South America
Colonial masonry strongholds and historic military fortresses in South America
South America holds a handful of European-style castles built by wealthy immigrants and industrialists rather than medieval rulers, reflecting a very different kind of fortification history than found in Europe or North Africa.
The destinations on this list range from privately built European-style estates constructed within the past century to colonial-era forts along the coast built for genuine defensive purposes during the colonial period. Both reflect distinct, relatively recent chapters of the continent's history.
Researching a site's specific construction history before visiting tends to clarify which of South America's castle-style buildings are genuinely historic fortifications and which are more recent architectural follies. Both sites reward arriving with some context in advance. Checking a site's specific opening days in advance also matters, since several operate on more limited schedules than larger museums.
Lists by region
City in Colombia
Cartagena
Walled city of Caribbean color
The Castillo San Felipe de Barajas crowns the Hill of San Lázaro, 41 metres above sea level. Construction began in 1639. In 1741 Admiral Blas de Lezo repelled the British fleet of Edward Vernon from its walls. A maze of tunnels runs inside and only some are open. UNESCO listed it in 1984.
City in Chile
Santiago
A vibrant city between mountains
Manuel Olaguer Feliú designed two stone forts on Cerro Santa Lucía in 1816. Each could hold eight or twelve cannons. Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna remodeled the hill in 1872 with a road, a gas lit chapel and a park with fountains. The hill reaches 629 metres and rises 69 metres above the city.
Country
Chile
Land of dramatic climate contrasts
Spain began the Valdivian fort system in 1645 to protect the southern approaches to Peru. The Niebla fort faces Corral at the northern entrance of the Valdivia River. Chilean patriots led by Thomas Cochrane captured the whole system in 1820. The system includes about 17 bastions around Corral Bay.
State/Prefecture in Brazil
Bahia
Vibrant coastlines and Afro‑Brazilian rhythms
The Forte de Santo Antônio da Barra in Salvador guards the entrance to the Bay of All Saints. A first Portuguese fortification probably stood on the site in 1501. Governor João de Lencastre had it converted into a star shaped polygon around 1702. It now houses the Nautical Museum of Bahia and a banded lighthouse.
City in Chile
Viña del Mar
Garden City by the Pacific
German trader Gustavo Adolfo Wulff bought the land in 1904 and built a house there in 1906. Architect Alberto Cruz Montt turned it into a castle around 1917 with a tower on rocks connected by a bridge. The city bought it in 1959. It became a National Historical Monument in 1995.
City in Colombia
Medellín
The City of Eternal Spring
Architect Nel Rodríguez built El Castillo in 1930 in a medieval Gothic style inspired by castles in France's Loire Valley. Industrialist Diego Echavarría Misas bought the house in 1943. It became a museum in 1971 and now holds nine rooms of porcelain, stained glass, antiques and paintings. A garden surrounds it in El Poblado.
Country
Peru
Ancient wonders meet diverse landscapes
The Real Felipe Fortress was built in two phases, from 1747 to 1774 and from 1776 to 1811. It stands in the Monumental Zone of Callao to defend the main port. Its grounds cover 70,000 square metres. Coastal batteries repulsed a bombardment led by Admiral Guillermo Brown in 1816. It houses the Peruvian Army Museum.
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