Torreon de la Chorrera
Coastal watchtower on a coral islet, guarding the river mouth that once supplied the city's drinking water.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to the Torreon de la Chorrera in Havana starts with an odd detail: fifty soldiers cooking dinner on a coral islet barely bigger than the tower itself. It traces why Spanish engineer Juan Bautista Antonelli finished this watchtower in 1646 to guard not just the harbor but the mouth of the Almendares River, which fed Havana's drinking water through the Zanja Real aqueduct. You'll hear how a garrison lived crammed onto that rock, stables and gunpowder store and kitchen stacked under one roof, the sea just below. Look for the old royal crests of Castile, Leon and Aragon still on its corners.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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