St. Augustine, Florida
Thursday, March 31, 2022
Built by the Spanish in St. Augustine to defend Florida and the Atlantic trade route, Castillo de San Marcos National Monument preserves the oldest masonry fortification in the continental United States and interprets more than 450 years of cultural intersections.
Exterior 1
Exterior 2
Artifact 1
The particular shape of the Castillo, known as the Bastion System, was a technical adaptation to the architecture. This defensive structure was designed to withstand the impact of cannon bullets, as well as to install cannons effectively to defend against any attackers.
Artifact 2
Coquina seemed like a poor choice to build a fort, but it was the only stone available on the northeast coast of Florida at the time. However, the material's porosity was beneficially compressible. The cannon balls that were fired at the Castillo would burrow into the rock and become trapped, instead of shattering the walls.
Visual In Conversation 1
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/371039
The Castillo de San Marcos is surrounded by a multi-use moat. At one point the fort was used to keep the townspeople safe from the dangerous town. When the people moved into the fort, they brought their livestock with them. The animals were kept in the moat, which smelled and sounded like a farmyard. Nearly 1500 people stayed at the fort for over a month. Fortunately, the moat was wide, dry and deep enough to keep these animals safe from canon fire and infantry attacks.
This idea visually reminded me of the Biblical story of Noah's Ark. In the story, God instructed Noah to build an ark. In accordance with God's command, he brought all of the world's animal species into the ark, both male and female specimens. The animals were kept safe in the arc from the flood that covered the Earth, and therefore saving each animal and allowing the eventual reproduction of each species.
Visual In Conversation 2
https://www.nothymetocook.com/culinary-tours-events/colonial-williamsburg
The Castillo de San Marcos has demonstrations of how to fire a cannon. This dramatic and entertaining show gives guests a realistic visualization of the history contained in the fort. Similarly, Colonial Williamsburg also has demonstrations of cannon firings. My family and I have visited this historic town multiple times, and this even has always been a highlight. The men are dressed in traditional clothing, shout the appropriate commands, and fire the cannons in the middle of a large battle field.
Literature In Conversation
Quote from Parable of a Sower by Octavia Butler
"Crazy to live without a wall to protect you" (Butler 8)
For Lauren and her community, the walls they lived within were a shelter from the chaos happening outside them. Similarly, the Castillo has walls surrounding it to provide safety for the soldiers. During battles, the walls served as a protective barrier for the soldiers to defend themselves.
Creative Component
I made a rough drawing of the layout of the Castillo de San Marcos to show how the fort is designed.
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