Fort San Diego, Star fort in Acapulco, Mexico.
The Fort of San Diego is a star-shaped fort with five bastions, built on a regular pentagon plan, in the port of Acapulco. Its walls are of pale yellow-cream stucco, and the flat grey concrete roof is bordered by a white parapet. Inside, the Acapulco Historic Museum has thirteen exhibition halls.
Spanish authorities built the fortress in 1617 to protect ships traveling between Manila and Acapulco from pirate attacks. It served as a crucial point for controlling one of the most important trade routes of that era.
The fort houses the Acapulco Historical Museum, which focuses on the Mezcala culture and the region's maritime trade. Visitors can see artifacts and displays that tell the story of the city's past and its sea connections.
The fort is open Tuesday through Sunday and offers free admission on Sundays. The best way to explore is to walk up the bastions slowly and pause at each level to view the different exhibitions.
The five bastions of the present fort carry the names San José, San Antonio, San Luis, Santa Bárbara and la Concepción. Each once had a guerite on its salient point, but these were demolished in the 1970s, so the outline visitors walk today is the pentagon without its corner sentry boxes.
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