The port city of Callao houses one of the most representative architectural jewels of the viceregal period
On October 28, 1746, averaging 10:46 pm, an earthquake of magnitude 9 (approximately) left the city of Lima and its surroundings in rubble. Minutes later, a tidal wave - whose waves reached the now known Av. Faucett - completely covered the town of Chalaca, only 200 people, of its 7000 inhabitants, managed to survive.
After its passage, it also devastated the first fortress, known as the old prison. Its building –which had 13 bastions– was made with crushed reed and mud. Without it, the port was left unprotected and at the mercy of the corsairs and pirates who repeatedly came to the coast to steal all the wealth they found in its path.
Fed up with looting, the then viceroy José Antonio Manso de Velasco decided to give the order to build a new fort that would allow Callao to be protected. Aware of the stay of the Spanish Joseph Amich and Juan Francisco Rossa and the French Luis Godin - the three experts in fortification - he asked the Count of Superunda to summon them and entrust them with the task of building an indestructible fort.
The first foundations of the Real Felipe Fortress were laid in 1747. For its construction, calicanto (mixture made with sand, lime and egg white from guano birds) and stones that were brought from the island of San Lorenzo were used.
The property is comprised of an area of 70,000 m2 and a perimeter of 1,586 meters. Its design is pentagonal and it has five bastions, baptized as: San José, San Carlos, San Felipe, the King and the Queen (the last two have towers).
The historian and military man, Felipe de la Barra, explained that the fort also has a casemate, counterscarp, barracks and bomb-proof warehouses under the ditches.
Construction ended in 1774, during the government of Viceroy Manuel de Amat y Junyent.
For the historian Jorge Ortiz Sotelo, the need for labor helped repopulate the port of Callao, which was gradually recovering from the ravages of the tragedy that had lived years before.
According to history, its name was placed in honor of the King of Spain, Felipe V. Years later, after the liberation of the Spanish regime, Don José de San Martín baptized the fortress as the Castle of Independence. However, some time later, he retaken the title that until today he holds.
Historical facts
Real Felipe was also one of the stages of the stage of the emancipation of Peru. In his cells, all the detractors of the viceroy were imprisoned, one of them was Fernando, the son of Túpac Amaru ll.
The historian Scarlett O’phelan tells that after the entry of Don José de San Martín to Lima, along with the escort who accompanied him on the famous liberating expedition, several Spaniards took refuge in this building.
In the combat of May 2, 1866 - a confrontation that halted the Spanish reconquest on Peruvian soil - it was a bastion of troops and administrative headquarters.
Today
Today, it functions as a museum and is the venue for civic activities. During the tour, it is possible to enter the famous Governor's House, where pieces referring to the different stages of the history of Peru are exhibited.
The armored vehicle park, the artillery park (where you can find a collection of cannons used by the Peruvian militias), the oploteca, which has a collection of weapons, and the keep of the King and Queen are also open to the public. .
Urban legends
Paranormal stories have been woven inside its walls. It is said that in the King's keep, the specter of a woman dressed in white wanders at night. While in the tower of the Queen, the spirit of a soldier who plunged into the precipice overwhelmed by the lamentations of the prisoners, wanders.
On the other hand, in the Governor's House, it is believed that the ghost of a child goes out to make mischief at night.