Brochure

(NPS brochure) Powder Magazine, 1675-87. This was the only vaulted chamber completed when the Castillo was build (th rest were added during “modernization”). Its thick coquina walls were buried in the earth fill of San Carlos Bastion to protect the fort’s gunpowder from fire or enemy shot. Lack of ventilation, however, created such a high level of dampness inside th esmall room that it proved unsuitable for storing the powder. When larger, better vaults were built, the powder was moved and this room was used for other things.

(NPS brochure) Cubo and Rosario Lines. After the British burned St. Augustine during the siege of 1702, the Spanish constructed a wall fo earth and palm logs with awide shallow moat around th etown. The only entance was fromt eh north through City Gate. A portion of this wall, the Cubo Line, has been recovered on the park grounds.Error! Bookmark not defined.

(NPS brochure) Design/Designer. The layout that Spanish engineer Ignacio Daza created for the Castillo de San Marcos is simple and straightforward. This fortress is a hollow square with diamond-shaped bastions at each corner, with only one way in or out.Error! Bookmark not defined. Powder Magazine, 1675-87. This was the only vaulted chamber completed when the Castillo was build (th rest were added during “modernization”). Its thick coquina walls were buried in the earth fill of San Carlos Bastion to protect the fort’s gunpowder from fire or enemy shot. Lack of ventilation, however, created such a high level of dampness inside th esmall room that it proved unsuitable for storing the powder. When larger, better vaults were built, the powder was moved and this room was used for other things. Chapel. Religion was an important part of daily Spanish life and this chapel alloweda priest a place to conduct mass for the soldiers. With the introduction fo Christianity to th eIndians in this area, various missions were established north and west of St. Augustine. The mission system of Florida was established by the Spanih more than 100 years before they introduced it into our western states.Error! Bookmark not defined. Storage Rooms. Despite their prison-like appearance, the rooms around the Plaza de armas, or central courtyard, were actually storage areas. During Spanish times, most of the rooms would have been stockpiled with gunpowder, ammunition, weapons, lumber, tools, and food such as dried beans, rice, flour, and corn. Since St. Augustine was not self-sufficient, such stockpiles of food and ammunition were an important part of the town’s defense during a seige.Error! Bookmark not defined. Guard Rooms. St. Augustine was a garrison town or presidio and no one lived inside the Castillo. The soldiers lived in town with their families and came to the fort to stand a rotating guard duty (usually 24 hours). At such times, they slept and prepared their meals in these rooms. The large fireplaces offered warmth on chilly days and provided an area for cooking. The platforms attached to the walls served as beds for the soldiers.Error! Bookmark not defined. Ravelin. This triangular outer work shielded th effort’s only entrance from enemy fire. It was never finished as planned. If completed, the outer wall would have been five feet higher, with embrasures for cannon and a powder magazine. The drawbridge here and the main drawbridge are both working reconstructions. The ravelin bridge would have been secured each night at sunset; the main bridge was secured only when the fort was under attack.Error! Bookmark not defined. Moat/Glacis/Covered Way. The Spanish kept the moat dry and, during sieges, used it as a pen for domestic animals. Whenever th e fort was under land attack, the moat could be fillled with sea water by opening flood gates on the seawall. Around the outside of th effort is a man-made slope called a glacis. This embankment shielded and protected the lower fort walls from enemy cannon fire. The The area betweenthe glacis and th emoat is called th covered (covert) way. The allowed soldiers to leave the fort and still be covered or protected by this wall.Error! Bookmark not defined. Bastions. Each of th efour corners of th effort is protected by a diamond-shaped bastion. Cannons in one bastion were positioned so as to create a deadly crossfire with those in two other bastions. The bastions’ thick stone walls were packed solid with rubble and sand to support the immense weight of th ecannon.Error! Bookmark not defined. Cubo and Rosario Lines. After the British burned St. Augustine during the siege of 1702, the Spanish constructed a wall fo earth and palm logs with awide shallow moat around th etown. The only entance was fromt eh north through City Gate. A portion of this wall, the Cubo Line, has been recovered on the park grounds.Error! Bookmark not defined. Well. Three shallow wells in the Plaza de armas provided water for the garrison. One of the wells still exists. Fresh water lies six to eight feet below the surface.Error! Bookmark not defined. Outpost of Empire. Castillo de San Marcos was for many years the northernmost outpost of Spanis’ vast New World empire. It is

Amy: I think this came from a brochure at the Castillo. Design/Designer. The layout that Spanish engineer Ignacio Daza created for the Castillo de San Marcos is simple and straightforward. This fortress is a hollow square with diamond-shaped bastions at each corner, with only one way in or out.Error! Bookmark not defined. Powder Magazine, 1675-87. This was the only vaulted chamber completed when the Castillo was build (th rest were added during “modernization”). Its thick coquina walls were buried in the earth fill of San Carlos Bastion to protect the fort’s gunpowder from fire or enemy shot. Lack of ventilation, however, created such a high level of dampness inside th esmall room that it proved unsuitable for storing the powder. When larger, better vaults were built, the powder was moved and this room was used for other things. Chapel. Religion was an important part of daily Spanish life and this chapel alloweda priest a place to conduct mass for the soldiers. With the introduction fo Christianity to th eIndians in this area, various missions were established north and west of St. Augustine. The mission system of Florida was established by the Spanih more than 100 years before they introduced it into our western states.Error! Bookmark not defined. Storage Rooms. Despite their prison-like appearance, the rooms around the Plaza de armas, or central courtyard, were actually storage areas. During Spanish times, most of the rooms would have been stockpiled with gunpowder, ammunition, weapons, lumber, tools, and food such as dried beans, rice, flour, and corn. Since St. Augustine was not self-sufficient, such stockpiles of food and ammunition were an important part of the town’s defense during a seige.Error! Bookmark not defined. Guard Rooms. St. Augustine was a garrison town or presidio and no one lived inside the Castillo. The soldiers lived in town with their families and came to the fort to stand a rotating guard duty (usually 24 hours). At such times, they slept and prepared their meals in these rooms. The large fireplaces offered warmth on chilly days and provided an area for cooking. The platforms attached to the walls served as beds for the soldiers.Error! Bookmark not defined. Ravelin. This triangular outer work shielded th effort’s only entrance from enemy fire. It was never finished as planned. If completed, the outer wall would have been five feet higher, with embrasures for cannon and a powder magazine. The drawbridge here and the main drawbridge are both working reconstructions. The ravelin bridge would have been secured each night at sunset; the main bridge was secured only when the fort was under attack.Error! Bookmark not defined. Moat/Glacis/Covered Way. The Spanish kept the moat dry and, during sieges, used it as a pen for domestic animals. Whenever th e fort was under land attack, the moat could be fillled with sea water by opening flood gates on the seawall. Around the outside of th effort is a man-made slope called a glacis. This embankment shielded and protected the lower fort walls from enemy cannon fire. The The area betweenthe glacis and th emoat is called th covered (covert) way. The allowed soldiers to leave the fort and still be covered or protected by this wall.Error! Bookmark not defined. Bastions. Each of th efour corners of th effort is protected by a diamond-shaped bastion. Cannons in one bastion were positioned so as to create a deadly crossfire with those in two other bastions. The bastions’ thick stone walls were packed solid with rubble and sand to support the immense weight of th ecannon.Error! Bookmark not defined. Cubo and Rosario Lines. After the British burned St. Augustine during the siege of 1702, the Spanish constructed a wall fo earth and palm logs with awide shallow moat around th etown. The only entance was fromt eh north through City Gate. A portion of this wall, the Cubo Line, has been recovered on the park grounds.Error! Bookmark not defined. Well. Three shallow wells in the Plaza de armas provided water for the garrison. One of the wells still exists. Fresh water lies six to eight feet below the surface.Error! Bookmark not defined. Outpost of Empire. Castillo de San Marcos was for many years the northernmost outpost of Spanis’ vast New World empire. It is