Tour of San Felipe Castle, Guatemala

san-felipe-castle-guatemala

After our Río Dulce boat ride, we walked up to the beautiful San Felipe Castle in Guatemala. If I had known that there was a real Spaniard castle from the 1500’s just a few hours from where I grew up, I would have gone as a child. My parents thought it was just a fort with one room, but as you can see from the video tour, there were lots of rooms, complete with a kitchen and dining room, bedrooms, a chapel, a courtyard, and a dungeon. There were many towers to look out over the river.

Video Tour of the San Felipe Castle

The day that we toured the castle was sunny with clear blue skies. Although it was sweltering hot, the beauty of the castle was a delight. I have always loved castles, and this was no exception. I found myself going in and out of various rooms and corridors, losing myself in the time period of the colonization of Guatemala by the Spaniards.

castle-of-san-felipe

Inside the castle was a large kitchen complete with fireplace to cook whatever wild fowl the hunters found in the river. The area was also lush with banana and coconut trees, so those foods must have been incorporated into their diet as well. I love the look of the Spaniard yellowish-stone walls both inside and outside the castle.

san-felipe-castle-inside

I walked both upstairs and downstairs in this castle, as there were many rooms. It wasn’t just a functional fort for soldiers. It was a fully livable home for that time period, with plenty of space for servants. There was a barracks for soldiers, and the fact that there was a dungeon for enemies with individual cells for solitary confinement was creepy.

castle-corridor

Cannons decorate the outside of this castle, not only on the top of the castle, but on the grass at the base of the castle, facing out toward the river. Since the castle is situated on the Río Dulce River, it is protected on three sides by the water itself, and the top of the castle gives a commanding view of the area to prevent any attacks.

castle-cannon

I love the picture of my family taken at the San Felipe Castle:

castle-family

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16 Responses to “Tour of San Felipe Castle, Guatemala”

  1. Alice Mills says:

    Gorgeous photos and views. I love to go to old castles and forts and imagine the lives that have passed through there.

    • Susan says:

      I have always loved castles! I’ve seen quite a few castles in England. It’s fun to imagine what life would have been like in that bygone era.

  2. Andrea says:

    Looks like you guys just had a TOTAL blast!

  3. Katie says:

    Looks like a beautiful trip!!! Love your photos!

  4. Heather Hart says:

    That looks like so much fun! We love touring places like that. Educational AND fun.

  5. Heather says:

    That is just too cool! I love history and think it would be so awesome to visit somewhere like that. You have a lovely family!

  6. Tara says:

    How fun and educational to visit a castle! I have visited a few, but I hope to take my children some day!

  7. Kristi says:

    I just put it together that this is where you lived as a child and where your parents were missionaries! Oh the new memories mixing with the old.

    Glad you were able to make this new memory of visiting the castle.

  8. Jimmy Smith says:

    I loved going to this old fort. As the neck of the river narrows there you can just imagine ships trying to make a run for it past the fort. Good pics. Thanks!

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