Castle of San Felipe de Lara

Not to be confused with Castle of San Felipe in Ferrol, Spain.

Castillo de San Felipe de Lara
Izabal, Guatemala
Coordinates15°38′15″N 88°59′36″W / 15.63742°N 88.99338°W / 15.63742; -88.99338
TypeRedoubt
Site information
Controlled byINGUAT
Open to
the public		Yes
ConditionRestored (1955)
Site history
Built1644
EventsPiracy in the Caribbean

The Castle of San Felipe de Lara (Castillo de San Felipe de Lara) (often referred to simply as the Castillo de San Felipe) is a Spanish colonial fort at the entrance to Lake Izabal in eastern Guatemala. Lake Izabal is connected with the Caribbean Sea via the Dulce River and El Golfete lake.[1] The fort was strategically situated at the narrowest point on the river.[2] The Castillo de San Felipe was used by the Spanish for several centuries, during which time it was destroyed and looted several times by pirates.[3]

The fort is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List and is a popular regional tourist destination.

  1. ^ ITMB 1998.
  2. ^ Alvarado Barrientos 2003, p.5.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference QuanMorales04p17 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).