View of Castille San Felipe del Morro’s Carmen Bastion from the Ochoa Bastion, San Juan National Historic Site
When the hornwork of Castillo San Felipe del Morro (aka El Morro) was overhauled in 1602, the Ochoa Bastion was connected to a small demi-bastion, Mercado, by a retaining wall. Some time between then and 1742 (per a drawing of the fort done at this time), a battery of cannon were placed along the wall forming what was called the Batería del Diablo (Devil’s Battery). When the fort was overhauled again in the 1770s and 80s, Batería del Diablo was converted into the Carmen Bastion that stands today, making it one of the newest structures of the fort.
Mercado Demi-Bastion
Upon entering El Morro, you will be on the Plaza de Armas (main plaza). At either end is an archway. To access the Carmen Bastion, if facing the fort entrance, head towards the archway on the left. Carmen is on the other side of the archway and on the same level as the plaza.
In addition to the plaza, Carmen is connected to three other sections of the fort. The large ramp at its center leads up to the Ochoa Bastion.
Ramp connecting the Carmen and Ochoa bastions of Castillo San Felipe del Morro, San Juan National Historic Site
At the eastern corner of Carmen near a sentry box is a doorway built into the parapet (protective wall) that provides access to a staircase that leads down to the Mercado Demi-bastion. This was originally an open-air staircase when Batería del Diablo existed. When Carmen was built, the staircase, which was attached to the outer wall, was enclosed. The door in the parapet is now gated, and there is no access for the public to the Mercado Demi-bastion due to deterioration of the staircase. The sentry box is open to visitors, and from inside you can get a decent view of the Santa Barbara Bastion to the west.
Sentry box (iguana in foreground) at the Carmen Bastion of Castillo San Felipe del Morro, San Juan National Historic Site
View of the Santa Barbara Bastion from the sentry box at the Carmen Bastion of Castillo San Felipe del Morro, San Juan National Historic Site
At the western corner of Carmen is a triangular staircase (as opposed to the typical spiral staircase) that connects to the Santa Barbara Bastion. This staircase is open to the public. If Santa Barbara is your next destination, you can get to it either from here or from a ramp on the main plaza located opposite from the sally port (fort entrance).
Doorway on the Carmen Bastion to the triangular staircase that leads to the Santa Barbara Bastion of Castillo San Felipe del Morro, San Juan National Historic Site
Triangular staircase from the Carmen Bastion to the Santa Barbara Bastion of Castillo San Felipe del Morro, San Juan National Historic Site
There are two modern gun emplacements for 6-inch Ordoñez guns that were installed by the Spanish just before the Spanish-American War in 1898. One is near the sentry box and the other is near the triangular staircase. Unlike the 18th century cannon that were simply rolled into place on small carriages and could only shoot straight ahead, the modern guns were mounted on large, pivoting carriages so that they could easily be rotated left or right. The front of the carriage was attached to a pintle that held it in place, and the rear wheels sat on tracks—limestone blocks in this case—embedded into the ground so that they rolled smoothly. The carriages either elevated the guns above the parapet, or the parapet was removed altogether. Here at the Carmen Bastion, the parapet was left in place. (Note the gated stairway to Mercado mentioned above in the photo below.)
1890s gun emplacement on the Carmen Bastion of Castillo San Felipe del Morro, San Juan National Historic Site
The photo of the cannon below is of a Rodman gun from the mid-1800s at Fort Moultrie in South Carolina, part of Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park. While not the gun or carriage used at El Morro, it illustrates the general idea of how the pivoting carriages worked.
Rodman gun and carriage at Fort Moultrie in South Carolina
An old cannon sits on the emplacement near the triangular staircase, but this gun is from an earlier time period, probably the 1700s. It is not the type of gun that would have been used in the 1890s.
18th century cannon on display at the Carmen Bastion of Castillo San Felipe del Morro, San Juan National Historic Site
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Last updated on April 9, 2024
