Spain · 18th century
Castillo de Fuste ranks #6,633 of 9,040 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #308 of the 606 mapped in Spain. Founded c. 1750, it is older than 16% of the atlas's dated landmarks, one of 685 atlas entries founded in the 18th century. See how Spain compares in the castle statistics.
Castillo de San Buenaventura is a defense tower located in Caleta de Fuste, a small town on the island of Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, Spain. It is also known as "Castillo de Caleta de Fuste", and the tower was recognized as historic-artistic monument in 1949.
In the 18th century, the archipelago's commanding general at the time, Andrés Bonito y Pignatelli, ordered military engineer Claudio de L'Isle to build a tower to defend the area against pirates who operated from France, England and North Africa (Barbary pirates). Bonito y Pignatelli, who also built Torre de Tostón in the coastal town of El Cotillo, died in 1743.
Castillo de San Buenaventura included two iron cannons, a vault supported by a solid pillar in the center, as well as men employed as watchmen. The castle's rooftop included a bartizan, and a cistern to store water. Located near Caleta de Fuste's marina, visitors can access the tower via a stone staircase, which features a drawbridge with iron chains. Castillo de San Buenaventura is one of the town's prominent monuments.
Text adapted from “Castillo de San Buenaventura” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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