Royal fortress Santiago de Arroyo de Araya: Testimony of Venezuela's colonial past (Eng - Esp)
Araya, is the capital of the Cruz Salmerón Acosta municipality, one of the fifteen municipalities that make up the Sucre state, which is located in the north-eastern region of the country, from its capital Cumaná, you can see part of the Araya peninsula, a beautiful seascape bathed by the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean Sea.
The Araya peninsula is the birthplace of the great poet Cruz Salmerón Acosta, who is honored by the municipality of the same name, it also stands out for its beautiful beaches, the salt mine, the most important clay crafts workshop in the state in the town of Manicuare, beautiful towns like Merito and Tacarigua, among others.
Araya, es la capital del municipio Cruz Salmerón Acosta, uno de los quince municipios que conforman el estado Sucre, el cual se ubica en la región nor oriental del país, desde su capital Cumaná, se puede observar parte de la península de Araya, un hermoso paisaje marino bañado por las cristalinas aguas del Mar Caribe.
La península de Araya es la cuna del gran poeta Cruz Salmerón Acosta, a quien hace honor el municipio homónimo, además destaca por sus hermosas playas, la salina, el taller de artesanías de barro más importante del estado en la población de Manicuare, lindos pueblos como Merito y Tacarigua, entre otros.
The population of Araya was constantly besieged by pirates and Dutch privateers who wanted to take over the Salina, given the economic importance of this valuable mineral to preserve fish and take it to different regions of the American continent, whose territory was under the domain and dispute of various European powers.
The existence of the Salina, geographical location in the open sea, of the town of Araya made it an easy target for pirates and corsairs who traveled the Caribbean Sea in search of treasures and hamlets to strip the inhabitants of their belongings and sometimes They seized the territories and planted terror among its inhabitants, creating anarchy and a hostile environment that forced the locals to abandon their homes and habitat in search of better living conditions.
La población de Araya era constantemente asediada por piratas y corsarios Holandeses que querían adueñarse de la Salina, dada la importancia económica que tenía este valioso mineral para conservar el pescado y llevarlo a diferentes regiones del continente Americano, cuyo territorio estaba bajo el dominio y disputa de varias potencias europeas.
La existencia de la Salina, ubicación geográfica en Mar abierto, de la población de Araya la convertía en blanco fácil de los piratas y corsarios que recorrían el Mar Caribe en busca de tesoros y caseríos para despojar a los habitantes de sus pertenencias y en ocasiones se apoderaban de los territorios e implantaban el terror entre sus habitantes creando una anarquía y ambiente hostil que obligaba a los lugareños a abandonar sus casas y hábitat en busca de mejores condiciones de vida.
According to information provided by a well-known fisherman in the area, the constant attacks by pirates and invasion attempts led the then governor of the province of Cumaná to build a fortress to protect the peninsula, for which he requested authorization. of the Spanish crown that was granted immediately.
It is believed (according to the fisherman) that the Royal Fortress of Santiago de Arroyo de Araya, known as Castillo de Araya, was built in the 16th century and for its construction blocks made with remains of mollusks and other marine organisms were used that compacted very well and favored the cutting of large blocks.
De acuerdo a la información suministrada por un conocido pescador de la zona, los constantes ataques por parte de los piratas e intentos de invasión, llevaron al entonces gobernador de la provincia de Cumaná a construir una fortaleza para proteger la península para lo cual solicitó la autorización de la corona española que le fue otorgada inmediatamente.
Se cree (según el pescador) que La Real fortaleza de Santiago de Arroyo de Araya, conocido como Castillo de Araya fue construido en el siglo XVI y para su construcción se utilizaron bloques elaborados con restos de moluscos y otros organismos marinos que compactaban muy bien y favorecían el corte de bloques de gran tamaño.
During the period of Spanish rule in Venezuela, many fortresses were built along the coastal zone whose main objective was to protect the territory conquered by the Spanish crown from the incursions of the Dutch who were looking for wealth and land in the newly "discovered" territory by Christopher Columbus on his third voyage, a Genoese navigator who asked the kings of Spain for help to explore the world and deliver to the Spanish monarchy the new overseas spaces they found on their journey.
Durante el período del dominio español en Venezuela, a largo de la zona costera se construyeron muchas fortalezas cuyo objetivo principal era proteger al territorio conquistado por la corona española de las incursiones de los holandeses quienes buscaban riquezas y tierras en el recién "descubierto" territorio por Cristóbal Colón en su tercer viaje, un navegante Genovés que pidió ayuda a los reyes de España para explorar El mundo y entregar a la monarquía española los nuevos espacios de ultramar que encontraran en su travesía.
The castle was built in a strategic area of the town of Araya to ensure protection from pirate attacks. The walls of the castle were thick and impenetrable, which allowed the governors of the region to contain the incursion of corsairs into territories belonging to the Spanish crown.
Access to the town of Araya can be done by sea (from the city of Cumaná in the famous "tapaítos" or "palita"), also by land from the Ribero municipality.
The times I have visited this beautiful town nestled in the Caribbean Sea, it has been by sea and it is a great and exciting experience, full of adrenaline when getting on the tapaíto (a kind of boat or canoe) and feeling the water, watching the sea blue in all its splendor, also a large number of fish in its journey through these warm waters and learn part of the history of this incredible castle of which only ruins remain that was declared a National Historic Monument; In addition to the castle and salt mine, in Araya and nearby towns there are beautiful beaches, which receive many tourists during Holy Week and school holidays (July and August) but the greatest influx of visitors is registered in Holy Week.
El castilo se construyó en una zona estratégica de la población de Araya para asegurar la protección de los ataques piratas, Las paredes del castillo eran gruesas e impenetrables, lo cual cual permitió que los gobernadores de región pudieran contener la incursión de corsarios en territorios pertenecientes a la corona española.
El acceso a la población de Araya puede hacerse por vía marítima (desde la ciudad de Cumaná en los famosos "tapaitos" o "palita"), también por vía terrestre desde el municipio Ribero.
Las veces que he visitado este hermoso pueblo enclavado en el Mar caribe, ha sido por vía marítima y es una gran experiencia muy emocionante, cargada de adrenalina al subir al tapaito (una especie de bote o canoa) y sentir el agua, observar el mar azul en todo su esplendor, también gran cantidad de peces en su recorrido por estas cálidas aguas y conocer parte de la historia de este increíble castillo del cual solo quedan ruinas y que fue declarado Monumento Histórico Nacional; además del castillo y salina en Araya y poblados cercanos se ubican hermosas playas, la cuales reciben muchos turistas en Semana Santa y vacaciones escolares (mes de julio y agosto) pero la mayor afluencia de visitantes se registra en Semana Santa.
Blessings!
¡Bendiciones!
Translated with https://www.deepl.com/translator
All images are my own, captured by a Síragon LC-3000 camera.
Todas las imágenes son de mi autoría, capturadas por una cámara Síragon LC-3000.
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Undoubtedly a place with a wonderful ocean view, besides containing a lot of history and vestiges of great architectural works. Greetings !
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Greetings @wilfredocav, indeed the sea view is spectacular, the fortress has a great history closely linked to the colonial past of the Venezuelan territory, although only the ruins remain is a construction with marked colonial influence and characteristics of the time.
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Colonialism in the past has always left historical marks, be it the remains of ruined buildings or historical stories that will always be told from generation to generation. I try to imagine how grand this fort was in the past.
Anyway, the sea view is very beautiful. Great photos and posts @belkyscabrera
Hello @isdarmady, despite the years that have passed there are still influences of colonialism in many countries, especially buildings such as castles, fortresses and residences had a particular style characteristic of that time, in my country are still preserved in good condition several of these buildings that allow us to appreciate the material used to erect important buildings.
I agree with you, the view of the sea from this fortress and the beautiful seascape create a great contrast that attracts locals and visitors, it is impossible to visit Araya and not see the ruins of the castle and its crystalline beaches.
Happy and blessed weekend!
Beautiful pictures and good review. An infinite hug 😘💜. Thanks for sharing.
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Greetings friend, thanks for your visit, Araya has a beautiful landscape and crystalline beaches, the castle is part of the many constructions that the Spanish built in different regions of the territory and allows us to learn interesting stories.
Happy and blessed weekend!
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Thank you very much for the pizza, yumiiii.
Hiya, @choogirl here, just swinging by to let you know that this post made it into our Honourable Mentions in Daily Travel Digest #1918.
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Cheers @choogirl, thanks so much for the mention.
Happy weekend!
I haven't gone to Araya yet, but I want to go someday. I remember the documentary about the salt in that place and the Solano fort in Puerto Cabello, they look almost the same.
Greetings @laimagenhabla, Araya is a coastal town with beautiful beaches, hopefully you can visit it in the near future, sure you will like it; most of the castles and buildings in general of the colonial era maintain a pattern and architectural design that makes them very similar although they are located in different regions of the American continent, of course each one has its particularity or small variations, but still retain the characteristic and distinctive style of colonialism.
Happy weekend!