Castillos de Guyana forts, Puerto Ordaz

Los Castillos de Guayana were built by the Spanish conquerors between the 17th and 18th centuries to prevent the penetration of pirates and buccaneers from the Orinoco River into the interior of Guyana and to protect Santo Tomas, the first Spanish settlement founded on the river bank in 1595.

CASTILLO SAN FRANCISCO DE ASIS was first built between 1676 and 1682 on an order of the Governor Tiburcio de Aspa Zuniga. On the same place, on a huge rock, was the convent of San Francisco de Asis.

As pirats raids continued, a second fort was built : EL CASTILLO DE SAN DIEGO DE ALCALA. Its construction started in 1734 under the leadership of Governor Juan de Dios Valdez in 1747 and was completed during the tenure of Colonel Diego Tabares. It stands high on a hill called "El Padrastro", a little more far from the river.

But this protection wasn’t enough and Santo Tomas was refunded in a safer place : the actual Ciudad Bolivar. The forts were abandoned.

At the end of the 19th century, they were renovated to control the traffic on the river, till 1943.

In 1970 they were renovated in their original condition and became popular tourist attractions.