This morning Gerardo and I went to explore San Felipe, a massive fortress that, together with Cerro La Popa, protected Cartagena from the land. The city itself was protected on the sea side by 11 kilometers of walls and dense mangrove swamps. San Felipe, designed by an Italian named Antonelli, was state of the art in fortress constructions. Various batteries protected from different angles and the fortress itself was a warren of tunnels, some of which were dead ends in which invaders found themselves trapped. Photos cannot convey adequately the massive size of the fortress, which successfully defended Cartagena.
