Castillo de San Marcos
Did
you know that the Castillo’s four bastions are named for saints? This is
Baluarte de San Pedro (Bastion of St. Peter). The bottom half of the wall dates
from the 1670-90s, but the walls were raised in the mid-1700s. History tells us
the walls were originally white and the towers were painted red, and you can
still see a lot of the red paint on this particular tower. You can also see
some of the coquina retaining walls at left. There’s nothing in this shot that
wouldn’t have existed hundreds of years ago, except that the Castillo has of
course aged considerably in its appearance.
Fountain of Youth
One
of my favorite parts of the Fountain of Youth complex is the Timucua Indian
village. Although many Americans are familiar with French, Spanish, and English
history, this is a culture you don’t learn about in the history books.
Interesting fact: The word “Timucua” was given to this tribe of Native
Americans by European explorers. No one has the foggiest idea how they referred
to themselves. Here we see the inside of a Timucua dwelling, complete with all
kinds of items which add visual interest. I don’t know about you, but I’d much
rather walk in on a fully-arrayed Timucua warrior than a helmeted Spanish
conquistador . . . especially with some of my ancestors being Huguenots and all
. . .
(c) 2015-2016 St. Augustine Fridays
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