Fuerte de San Felipe Bacalar, or Fort San Felipe Bacalar in English, is a placing colonial fortress in downtown Bacalar. It overlooks the magnificent Bacalar lagoon of 7 colours and was crafted in the 1700s to defend towards pirate assaults.
It is quick to notice the fort from exterior because its situated right future to Bacalar’s Zócalo (key square) and the Mango y Chile, one particular of the most popular dining places in Bacalar.
But is Fuerte de San Felipe truly worth going to? And what do you will need to know just before heading inside of? Maintain examining, this Bacalar Fort San Felipe travel guide will respond to these thoughts and far more!
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Fort San Felipe Bacalar
💵 Admission payment: $110 MXN (About $6.50 USD)
⏰ Opening hrs: 9am-7pm Tuesday-Sunday (Closed on Mondays)
🗺 Deal with: Av 3, Centro, 77930 Bacalar, Q.R., Mexico
Pirates & Fort San Felipe Bacalar’s Historic Significance
Fuerte de San Felipe was crafted in 1733 by the Spanish to protect the town of Bacalar from smugglers and pirates. About the next four many years, modifications had been built to reinforce its protection, these as incorporating a watchtower.
Think it or not, Campeche wood (pale de tinte in Spanish) is what the pirates and smugglers ended up immediately after. This wooden could be employed for dying dresses black, purple, and blue. Europeans, whose dresses were ordinarily brown or grey, designed a demand from customers for these purely natural dyes.
Evidently, a ship of Campeche wooden was worth additional than a decades value of other cargo, so it is no speculate that locations like Bacalar in which this prized wooden was exported captivated smugglers and pirates.
The fort was designated as a countrywide historic monument in 1975 and turned a general public museum in 1983. These days it is the key historic web page in Bacalar, and residences an fascinating museum about Bacalar’s heritage and the pirates.
Where is Fuerte de San Felipe Bacalar?
Fuerte de San Felipe is located in downtown Bacalar, a town in the condition of Quintana Roo on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. The fortress is located on a hill overlooking Bacalar lagoon, instantly across from Pirates’ Channel, a canal connecting the lagoon to the Caribbean Ocean.
What to Hope When Viewing Fuerte de San Felipe Bacalar
To go to Fort San Felipe in Bacalar, very first head to the ticket booth, which is found among the fort and Mango y Chile cafe.
Then you can enter the fort by demonstrating your ticket, crossing by the gate, and in excess of the moat. As a visitor you can discover all the open up locations, and the small watchtower. You can also go to the smaller museum, which in my belief, is the spotlight of the fort.
It is essential to note that there definitely is not a lot to see at the fortress. Despite the fact that it is little, the museum is the ideal in city to discover about Bacalar’s history, and of course, the true pirates of the Caribbean!
In my view, the ideal time to stop by the fort is about golden hour, an hour or two ahead of sunset. The fort is the perfect spot to observe the sunset above Bacalar lagoon!
Is Fort San Felipe Bacalar Worthy of Visiting?
If pirates and colonial background curiosity, Fort San Felipe is truly worth a visit! On the other hand, I will be truthful — there is not a great deal to see inside the fort that you cannot see from outside the house, beside the museum.
$110 pesos a somewhat nominal charge, but it is a little bit a lot more than the entry rate other historical web-sites and museums in Mexico.
With this all in head, no matter whether Fort San Felipe is well worth visiting will be fully based on your possess interests. I would not take into account it a should-take a look at spot in Bacalar, but you must at least see it from the outside the house!
Be aware: The grassy hills future to the Fuerte de San Felipe are a great place for a picnic at sunset if you come to a decision not to go in the fort!
Ultimate Thoughts: Fort San Felipe Bacalar
If you take a look at Bacalar Centro, Fuerte de San Felipe is impossible to miss! But no matter if you end up purchasing a ticket to enter the fort depends on your level of interest in the Fort San Felipe museum considering the fact that the fort alone is really smaller.
Whether or not you go to the fort or not, I hope this write-up served you system your Bacalar vacation! Be guaranteed to look at out my other Mexico vacation guides, as well!
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★ Renting a Scooter on Cozumel Island
★ Browsing Tulum’s Magic formula No cost Cenote
★ Muyil River Float: Have to-Do Exercise in Tulum!
★ 21 Mexico Town Hidden Gems
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