Fort Guijarros, 18th-century Spanish fort at Ballast Point, San Diego, United States.
Fort Guijarros is an 18th-century coastal fortification at Ballast Point that was built with ten mounted cannons positioned to control access to San Diego Bay. The structure served as a strategic defensive outpost overlooking the main entrance to the waterway.
The fort was built in 1797 during Spanish colonial times as part of Spain's strategy to secure its California holdings. It later came under threat when foreign trading vessels began entering the bay.
The fort demonstrates early Spanish military construction methods in California through its adobe walls and strategic coastal placement overlooking the bay entrance.
Two original cannons from the fort can still be viewed today, with one on display at the San Diego History Center and another located at a public plaza downtown. Visiting these sites gives you a sense of the fort's actual armaments.
The location takes its name from the stones that Yankee ships collected as ballast for their journeys back to Boston. This common practice shaped the area's identity and gave the point its lasting name.
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