Fuerte de Buenos Aires, Military fortress in Plaza de Mayo, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Fuerte de Buenos Aires was a stone fortress with four bastions, defensive walls, and a moat positioned in Plaza de Mayo. It contained several interior buildings designed for military operations and colonial administration.
The fortress was built in 1594 under Governor Fernando de Zárate as a defense against English corsairs and pirates. It stood for nearly 260 years before being demolished in 1853 to make way for new construction.
The fortress served as the symbolic center of Spanish colonial power, where governors held ceremonies that displayed royal authority. For residents, it represented both protection and the seat of distant imperial rule.
You can visit the former fortress location where Casa Rosada, the presidential palace, now stands at the eastern edge of Plaza de Mayo. Walking across the square itself gives you a sense of the site's scale and historical importance.
During the British invasions of 1806, the fortress was briefly commanded by General William Beresford before he surrendered to Santiago de Liniers. This event became a turning point in how locals saw their own power to defend their territory.
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