The Heart of San Cristobal
You are standing in the heart of Castillo San Cristobal, its main plaza, or plaza de armas. Completed by 1797, it looked then much as you see it now. This plaza de armas witnessed the daily events of military life in a Spanish fortress for more than a century.
Here on the main plaza floor, troops drilled, were inspected, and assembled for formal events. The vaulted rooms around the plaza---called casemates----housed officers’ quarters, barracks, storage areas, the kitchen and the latrine. If necessary, cannon could be fired from casemates as well. During San Cristobal’s heyday, this plaza would have been a very busy place.
Today San Cristobal’s main plaza houses exhibit areas, a bookstore, restrooms, and a troop quarters area that has been restored to its historic appearance.
Marker is on Bulevar del Valle.
Courtesy hmdb.org
