Castillo de San Felipe de Lara, Spanish colonial fort at Rio Dulce entrance, Guatemala

Castillo de San Felipe de Lara is a Spanish colonial fortress at the entrance to Rio Dulce in the Izabal region of Guatemala. The structure includes nineteen cannons, a central tower, and heavy defensive walls that command views over Lake Izabal.

King Philip II ordered a fortress at the Rio Dulce outlet to stop pirates raiding Spanish treasure and supply ships; English, Dutch and Portuguese raiders destroyed its tower in 1604, and Captain Pedro de Bustamante rebuilt it under his surname. The present castle was built in 1651 by order of oidor Antonio de Lara y Mogrovejo, who named it after the king. Abandoned in 1817 as indigo exports fell, it was reconstructed in 1955 by architect Francisco Ferrús Roig.

The castle takes its name from Antonio De Lara y Mogrovejo, the Guatemalan oidor who ordered its construction in 1651 and named it after himself and King Philip II. The Bustamante Tower recalls Captain Pedro de Bustamante, who rebuilt an earlier tower destroyed by pirates in 1604. Guatemalan writer José Milla y Vidaurre used the fort as a prison setting in his novel Memorias de un Abogado.

The site is open daily from eight in the morning until five in the afternoon, with guided tours offered in Spanish and English. All areas are accessible, and the climb to the tower offers views over the lake and river.

The fortress fulfilled three roles at once: military defense, customs control for maritime trade, and prison for captured pirates. This triple function made it a central hub of Spanish colonial administration in the region.