More Pirates of the Caribbean – by Gary

“Ahoy me hearties, where be them blasted buccaneers?”

Once upon a time the answer may well have come back:

“Why the Spanish Main Cap’n, the Spanish Main. They’re all headed Portobelo way in search of treasure!”

In the heydays of the Spanish/American empire the ‘Spanish Main’ referred to the mainland land-mass enclosing the Caribbean Sea, and most particularly to the ports of Cartegena, Portabello and Vera Cruz.  These heavily defended port cities were prime feeders for the annual galleon fleets shipping vast quantities of gold, silver, gems and high value commodities back to Spain.  These riches, for a time, transformed Spain into the world’s wealthiest nation.  They also proved irresistible pirate bait.

Currently we are anchored in Portobelo.  The name, meaning ‘beautiful port’, was most probably bestowed by Christopher Columbus.  It was here a new Spanish city was founded in 1597, sited on account of its strategic location:

• it lay on the narrow Isthmus of Panama – only 50 miles overland from the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea, 
• its protected anchorage was one of the best on the coast, and 
• the surrounding steep hills and nigh inpenetrable jungle surrounds naturally lent themselves to an effective defense. 

These attributes made it the ideal place for the Spanish to send gold looted from indigenous tribes up and down the Pacific coast, or mined by slaves, and later when it ran out, silver, mined in Peru, and later still, tobacco, coffee, sugar and spices.  All this prime booty was hauled across the isthmus by mule train and loaded on to waiting galleons.  In the periods prior to the galleons annual sailing Portobelo fairly bustled with the energy of itinerant traders, soldiers, officials and their clerks, laborers, liquor merchants and whores as these riches were exchanged for all manner of European merchandise (and of course, slaves) required by the wealthy, growing colonies.  Trade, where possible, was monopolized by the Spanish.

Naturally enough, others coveted a piece of the action.  Pirates and smugglers cruised the coast as well as, in times of war, the British, Dutch and French navies – all in search of opportunity.  Pirates became active even before the city’s official founding.  In January 1596 the pirate (cum member of parliament, cum vice-admiral of the English fleet!) Sir Francis Drake died of dysentery as his ship blockaded Portabelo, lying in wait for a couple of Spanish treasure ships that had ran for shelter within.  The first recorded attack on the new city was by the English pirate William Parker in 1602.  The infamous buccaneer Henry Morgan sacked the city in 1671.  Attacks continued until the city’s comprehensive destruction in 1739 by the English admiral Edward Vernon (see more on Vernon in Nina’s last blog).

Following Vernon’s attack and commencing in 1751 the Spanish Crown rebuilt the city and a new elaborate defense system, designed in accordance with the latest scientific principles.  But it was effort too late.  The flow of gold and silver had largely dried up, the Spanish economy was in tatters and the Spanish trade monopolies were broken.  Portobelo quietly faded into obscurity.

Today Portobelo is a sleepy hamlet, its beautiful natural setting is protected as a national park and the ruins of the 1751 defense system are a World Heritage Site. It does not take much to image yourself back on the Spanish Main of old – it is hot and steamy, the jungle incessantly encroaching on the fortifications.  Howler Monkeys and calling birds provide atmosphere.

A model of the 1751 fortifications on the opposite side of the port from the town.  It consisted of three elements, a lower battery, an upper battery, and a small fort on the hill’s summit.  Additional batteries strategically placed on the town side ensured that an enemy ship attempting to enter was caught in a deadly crossfire.  

Here are the lower and upper batteries as they exist today.  The lower battery is protected by a battered earthen embankment.  Foot-soldiers managing to scale the embankment were confronted with a deep dry moat separating them from the stone ramparts.  Connecting the two batteries are steps protected within deep, stone lined trenches.

The lower battery.  You can see the stone wall is seriously thick. The fortifications are built from coral blocks, originally white they have now weathered to grey and meld into the environment.

View to seaward from the upper battery.  Shore batteries, with their larger guns and elevational advantage could bring a ship in range much earlier than visa-versa.  With brick, stone and soil defense they were pretty impregnable compared with wooden ships.

The small fort on the summit of the hill (standing behind a dry moat) – it served as a look out point, powder store and signal station warning of a land attack through the jungle.

One battery was placed directly in front of the town.  The magnificently imposing Duane or Customs House, built in 1630, stands behind.  It was the epi-centre of action during the annual trade-fairs prior to the sailing of the galleons back home to Spain (for protection they sailed in close convoy). 

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