San Juan de Ulúa: Difference between revisions

| name = Fortaleza de San Juan de Ulúa

| native_name = Fortress of San Juan de Ulúa

| partof =

| location = [[Veracruz (city)|Veracruz]], [[Veracruz]], [[Mexico]]

| image = Vista San Juan de Ulúa 05 = Tvrđava u Veracruzu.JPGjpg

| image_size = 300px

| caption = View of the fortress facilities

| type = [[Fortification|Fortress]]

| coordinates = {{coord|19|12|33|N|96|7|53|W|type:landmark|display=inline}}

| image_map =

| controlledby = [[Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia]]

| built = 1535

| used =

| builder = [[Spanish Empire]]

| materials = Stone

| height =

| condition = Deteriorated

| battles = [[Spanish attempts to reconquer Mexico]] <br> [[Mexican-AmericanMexican–American War]] <br> [[Second French intervention in Mexico|French intervention in Mexico]]

| website = [http://www.sanjuandeulua.com.mx/ Official website]

'''San Juan de Ulúa''', alsonow known as '''Castle of San Juan de Ulúa''', is a large complex of [[fortresses]], prisons and one former palace on an island of the same name in the [[Gulf of Mexico]] overlooking the [[seaport]] of [[Veracruz (city)|Veracruz]], Mexico. [[Juan de Grijalva]]'s 1518 expedition named the island. On [[EasterMarch Sunday]]30, 1519, [[Hernan Cortés]] met with Tendile and Pitalpitoque, emissaries from [[Moctezuma II]]'s [[Aztec Empire]].<ref name=Diaz>Diaz, B., 1963, The Conquest of New Spain, London: Penguin Books, {{ISBN|0140441239}} {{rp|89}} {{rp|36,38,89}}</ref>

The fort was constructedbuilt during the period of [[New Spain|Spanish colonial rule]], with construction being initiatedbegun in 1535 by the [[List of viceroys of New Spain|Spanish authorities]]. The boundaries of the fort were repeatedly expanded several times during its existence. In 1568, the [[Spanish Army|Spanish forces]] stationed on theThe fortress succeededsaw inno trappingaction a [[Privateer|privateer]] fleet underafter the command of [[John Hawkins (naval commander)|John Hawkins]] in the fortress's harbour. The commanders1560s under Hawkins included hisSpanish cousincontrol, thebecoming youngan [[Francisisolated Drake]]. Although Hawkins and Drake both managed to escape the organized entrapment on their respective [[Warship|warships]], manyoutpost of the trappedSpanish sailorsArmy aboardin theNew ships were killed by Spanish cannon fireSpain. Several ofIn the privateer warships present were sunk1580s, and several more were damaged beyond repair, and [[Scuttling|scuttledBattista Antonelli]] alongredesigned the Mexicanfortress coastline.during Thea shipwrecked sailors were abandoned by Hawkins,stopover whoen choseroute to cut his losses and venture elsewhere on the [[SpanishGulf Mainof Fonseca]].<ref>{{Cite Appletons'|wstitle=Antonelli, Juan|year=1900}}</ref>

After [[Mexican War of Independence|Mexico's independence]] in 1821, a large body of Spanish troops continued to occupy San Juan de Ulúa as late as 1825. It was the last site in the former colonyKingdom of New Spain to be held by the Spanish and was surrendered to Mexican General [[Miguel Barragán]] in November 1825. The justification for the order of expulsion issued by [[President of Mexico|President]] [[Vicente Guerrero]] was their [[Spanish attempts to reconquer Mexico|failed attempt atto re-conqueringconquer Mexico]]. Since then, San Juan de Ulúa has served as a military and political symbol of Mexican resistance to foreign invasions and occupations, thanks to several of which took place during the nineteenth19th century. In 18361838 the [[July Monarchy|French]] bombarded the fortress in the [[Battle of Veracruz (1838)|Battle of Veracruz]] during the [[Pastry War]], a conflict resulting from a French citizen in Mexico seeking [[Reparation (legal)|reparations]] for his allegedly damaged [[Pastry|pastry]] shop; during the [[Mexican–American War]], a conflict which resulted from disputes over the nascent [[Republic of Texas]], the [[United States]] [[Siege of Veracruz|laid siege]] to the fortress during the war, a conflict which resulted from disputes over the nascent [[Republic of Texas]], and in 1863, the [[Second French Empire|French]] [[Second French intervention in Mexico|briefly occupied]] the city whenwhile installing [[Maximilian I of Mexico|Maximilian I]] as [[Second Mexican Empire|emperorEmperor of Mexico]]. For much of the nineteenth19th century, the fort served as a [[Law enforcement in Mexico|prison]], especially for [[Political prisoners|political prisonersprisoner]]s judged to be opposition to the government. Many prominent Mexican politicians spent time here while they were not in power.

The last foreign incursion came in 1914, on the eve of the [[World War I|First World War]], when an American expedition [[United States occupation of Veracruz|captured and occupied]] Veracruz as a response to the [[Tampico Affair]] against the background of the [[Mexican Revolution]]; which threatened the [[Petroleum industry in Mexico|regional oil industry]] in which Americans were heavily invested. After a short but bloody firefight the Americans captured the city, including San Juan de Ulúa. After seven months of U.S. occupation, the Americans departed and handed back the city to the Mexicans. The national legislature awarded the port and city of Veracruz the title of ''Heroic'' for the fourth time following this incident. A portion of San Juan de Ulúa also served several times as the [[presidential palace]], housing presidents such as [[Benito Juárez]] and [[Venustiano Carranza]]. The citadel was also used as a prison, especially during the early 20th-century regime of President [[Porfirio Díaz]]. It was alleged by some sources that in order to prevent prisoners from escaping, [[Shark|sharks]] were placed into the waters surrounding the island, so that they would kill anyone attempting to escape.{{whom|date=March 2021}}

The fortress was ultimately closed ("decommisioned"decommissioned) when it was no longer required for the defencedefense of Mexico, being too impractical to serve as a modern naval base. After several years of decay, renovations were begun on the complex in the late 20th century. Some of the renovation projects are still under construction today. San Juan de Ulúa has been preserved in a somewhat deteriorated form and has been transformed into a museum open to the public. The prison, along with the remaining fortress complex are all open to the public, with the exception of the former presidential palace, which suffered severe decay and is still undergoing renovations as of 2020. The complex is a very popular tourist attraction among the Mexican public. The fortress has also been featured in [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]] movies, with San Juan de Ulúa was used to depict the fortress in [[Cartagena, Colombia]], in the climax of the 1984 film ''[[Romancing the Stone]]''.