The Fortress of Jagua, National Monument and its mysterious legend of the Blue Lady [Eng- Esp]
La Fortaleza, Castillo de Jagua or Castillo de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles de Jagua is a beautiful place of pride for the people of Cienfuegos for its heritage value. It was built approximately in the 1740s by the Spanish in Renaissance style and its purpose was to protect the city from attacks by corsairs and pirates. This fort, due to its architectural value, was declared a National Monument.
La Fortaleza, Castillo de Jagua o Castillo de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles de Jagua es un hermoso lugar orgullo del pueblo de Cienfuegos por su valor patrimonial. Fue construido aproximadamente en la década de 1740 por los españoles con un estilo renacentista y su objetivo era proteger la ciudad de los ataques de corsarios y piratas. Este fuerte, por su valor arquitectónico, fue declarado Monumento Nacional.
The stairway leading to the fortress is guarded by two cannons and is surrounded by stone walls about 1.50 meters high. In the center there is a small entrance with three steps and two wooden leaves that lead to an esplanade where there are several cannons next to the moat. This castle was built with rocks, like most fortresses of the time. Over the moat there is a long wooden drawbridge, it is one of the longest I have seen here in Cuba and it has a peculiarity: it is the only one in the country that currently has a working mechanism. It has guided tours, because in 1998 it became a museum. Its wooden bridge is on long pillars that cross the deep moat.
La escalinata que conduce a la fortaleza está custodiada por dos cañones y rodeada por muros de piedra de 1,50 metros de altura. En el centro hay una pequeña entrada con tres escalones y dos hojas de madera que conducen a una explanada donde hay varios cañones junto al foso. Este castillo se construyó con rocas, como la mayoría de las fortalezas de la época. Sobre el foso hay un largo puente levadizo de madera, es uno de los más largos que he visto aquí en Cuba y tiene una peculiaridad: es el único del país que actualmente tiene un mecanismo en funcionamiento. Tiene visitas guiadas, porque en 1998 se convirtió en museo. Su puente de madera está sobre largos pilares que cruzan el profundo foso.
In the entrance arch there is a plaque detailing the year of construction, the engineer and the king who ruled in those years. Next, there is a parade ground where you can see the cannons that were used for defense in the past. There are also two circular lookouts from where the lookouts watched the entrance to the Bay. This fort has two levels, the upper one is accessed by a stone spiral staircase. Its walls are very thick, so, despite the sunny day, it was very cool and quite humid.
En el arco de entrada hay una placa que detalla el año de construcción, el ingeniero y el rey que gobernaba en esos años. A continuación, hay un patio de armas donde se pueden ver los cañones que se utilizaron para la defensa en el pasado. También hay dos miradores circulares desde donde los vigías vigilaban la entrada a la Bahía. Este fuerte tiene dos niveles, al superior se accede por una escalera de caracol de piedra. Sus muros son muy gruesos, por lo que, a pesar del día soleado, hacía mucho fresco y bastante humedad.
It has a cistern where rainwater was collected with a capacity of 100 cubic meters, which was then used throughout the enclosure, my son helped me down because the stairs were worn and I wanted to see it up close because I had never seen one. Upstairs there is a very nice sunny patio, with benches, some vegetation and an opening in the form of a well with a roller where the water was extracted from the cistern. From there you can see the second floor balconies, all rustically made of wood.
Tiene un aljibe donde se recogía el agua de lluvia con una capacidad de 100 metros cúbicos, que luego se utilizaba en todo el recinto, mi hijo me ayudó a bajar porque las escaleras estaban desgastadas y quería verlo de cerca pues nunca había visto ninguno. Arriba hay un patio soleado muy bonito, con bancos, algo de vegetación y una abertura en forma de pozo con un rodillo donde se extraía el agua del aljibe. Desde allí se ven los balcones del segundo piso, todos rústicamente hechos de madera.
Despite the hundreds of years of construction, it retains all its structure and although repairs have had to be made, the structure is original. I am very surprised how all these Spanish fortresses are still standing through the years, allowing us to feel and know the stories and legends that enclose these walls. At the top is a large cylindrical tower with a vaulted ceiling. We climb it up the spiral staircase and out onto an esplanade overlooking the bell tower, from there you can see the bay, it is a splendid view. Inside the tower there is a wooden staircase with a wooden floor, we climb it and observe through the holes in the tower the bay, that was the highest post of the lookouts.
A pesar de los cientos de años de construcción, conserva toda su estructura y aunque se han tenido que hacer reparaciones, la estructura es original. Me sorprende mucho como todas estas fortalezas españolas siguen en pie a través de los años, permitiéndonos sentir y conocer las historias y leyendas que encierran estas murallas. En lo alto hay una gran torre cilíndrica con techo abovedado. Subimos a ella por la escalera de caracol y salimos a una explanada que da al campanario, desde allí se divisa la bahía, es una vista espléndida. Dentro de la torre hay una escalera de madera con suelo de madera, subimos por ella y observamos a través de los agujeros de la torre la bahía, ese era el puesto más alto de los vigías.
In one of the rooms there is a chapel and on one of the walls there is a writing about the legend of the blue lady. In the different rooms there are some period objects, sailboats, ships, chests, and various information placed on the walls like scrolls. Among them I found another Cienfuegos legend, of Mari Lope, the indigenous woman who consecrated her soul to God. From the second floor you can see the moat with its beautiful green grass. According to what we were told, it always remained empty, it was never supplied with water.
En una de las salas hay una capilla y en una de las paredes hay un escrito sobre la leyenda de la dama azul. En las distintas salas hay algunos objetos de época, veleros, barcos , cofres, y varias informaciones colocadas en las paredes a modo de pergaminos. Entre ellos encontré otra leyenda cienfueguera, de Mari Lope, la indígena que consagró su alma a Dios. Desde el segundo piso se ve el foso con su hermosa hierba verde. Según nos contaron, siempre permanecía vacío, nunca fue abastecido de agua.
When we arrived at the rooms where the governor of the fortress was staying, one of the local guides began to tell us anecdotes that proved the mystery of the Blue Lady hovering over the castle. According to the local fishermen's folktales, they claim to see a blue halo on clear nights above the highest tower. The guide told us that earlier this year a Canadian couple had gone to the castle with a little girl and that from the moment they entered the castle, the little girl kept crying and that in a photo they took at the entrance to the fortress, when they looked closely, there was a blue flash next to her.
Cuando llegamos a las habitaciones donde se encontraba el gobernador de la fortaleza, uno de los guías locales empezó a contarnos anécdotas que demostraban que el misterio de la Dama Azul que se cernía sobre el castillo. Según las historias populares de los pescadores locales, éstos afirman ver un halo azul en las noches claras sobre la torre más alta. El guía nos contó que a principios de año había ido al castillo una pareja canadiense con una niña pequeña y que desde que entraron en el castillo, la niña no paró de llorar y que en una foto que hicieron a la entrada de la fortaleza, cuando la miraron bien, a su lado había un destello azul.
My son, who is quite a practical boy, came out of the castle a bit upset and in a hurry. According to him, he had been feeling the presence of something he couldn't explain for a while. I think that hearing the story made my son very suggestible, but is it true that the soul of this lady still haunts the castle?
Here I leave you with this spectacular fortress and this question, hoping it will be to everyone's liking, see you soon.
Mi hijo, que es un chico bastante práctico, salió del castillo un poco contrariado y con prisas. Según él, llevaba rato sintiendo la presencia de algo que no podía explicar. Creo que escuchar la historia sugestionó mucho a mi hijo, pero ¿será verdad que el alma de esta dama sigue rondando el castillo?
Aquí les dejo con esta espectacular fortaleza y esta interrogante, esperando que sea del agrado de todos, hasta pronto.
Las fotos fueron tomadas con mi teléfono Xiaomi Note 11
Utilice Traductor DeepL
To verify more detailed information, we consulted the following page
Source
Me gustan este tipo de estructuras, tienen mucha historia, sorprenden que aún continúen en pie, como si los años no pasaran. Pobre del que le salga la dama azul esa 😂
Si amigo es increible que estas construcciones hayan sobrevivido tanto tiempo y creo que la dama azul es un tema de la mente de la gente, aunque mi hijo lo duda jaja
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But what an impressive fortress. How well preserved! I was very impressed by the story of the blue flash, I would have been as impressed as your son.
Very beautiful photos, you have given us a trip without having been present.
Cheers
It was an unexpected visit that I really liked and I found an incredible story in addition to the architectural and historical value of the place, although I didn't really feel like my son, but I was able to live his experience. , thanks for visiting us 👋❤️
Interesting adventure of architecture @lileisabel. Though the historic Fortress of Jagua is a heritage landmark of national importance, it is still an ancient building. And it has been a proven fact around the world that paranormal activities do occur in these places of antiquity. The Blue Lady could be one of them, right? 👍
I can simply relate to your son's ghostly encounter because this also happened to me in one of my tours of ancient temple ruins some years ago. I was under the scorching heat of the afternoon sun, but then all of a sudden, I felt an invisible entity's cold presence that seemed to pass through my body. It was a chilling and nerve-racking experience that I had to exit the area immediately after taking photos. 😱
Was this the first time your family members had this incident?
Yes friend, generally this type of construction hides stories and legends and this is one of the buildings in Cienfuego that keeps the most mysteries. When we told my mother what happened to my son, she only answered me, very strange things always happen in that place.
She told us that she visited him when I was one year old and a friend of hers was carrying me in her arms and that we were lost for more than an hour, they found us because of my crying, apparently I had fallen through some holes created by time, the friend of My mom had several injuries, but nothing happened to me, of course I don't remember this fact, I was very little.
Me in particular in places like this, I have felt a little suggestion but I have not felt the presence of the afterlife, I don't know if I am too objective 🤭
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Greetings @lileisabel, the city of Cienfuegos has incredible constructions, this fortress despite the almost 300 years is very well preserved and houses many stories of mystery, like your son also would have left the place quickly to hear about the blue lady heh heh, the legend is really scary, the young ensign suffered the consequences of facing the mysterious lady.
Cuba and Venezuela share similar stories from colonial times, the purpose of these fortresses was to protect the city from the attacks of pirates and corsairs that traveled the Caribbean Sea in search of treasures, the materials used in these constructions are durable, after more than two centuries the construction is preserved in good condition and allows tourists and natives to know this important landmark of the country.
Happy weekend!
That's right, dear @belkiscabrera, they are two countries that have a lot to do with each other since we were a colony of Spain, the same should happen with other Latin countries. We have similar history and cultures. As for the Blue Lady, I was rather curious, it will be because I have not experienced those presences haha I would like to visit her again one day to see what happens haha. greetings dear, thanks for stopping by, happy weekend to you too 😘❤️
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Thank you @aplusd for the mention and congratulations to all of you. ❤️
It is an enormous privilege to have you here dear @lileisabel. Stay brilliant as always! 😀
I imagine that all over Cuba, due to its geographical condition of being an island, it must have an infinity of fortresses, and this one you show us is spectacular, as well as its preservation. Greetings !
That's how it is friend, very well preserved and with stories and legends that surround it, thanks for stopping by 👋❤️
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