Fort San Pedro


Fuerza de San Pedro is a military defence structure, built by Spanish and Indigenous Cebuano labourers under the command of Spanish conquistador, Miguel López de Legazpi and the Spanish Government in Cebu. It is located in the Pier area, Cebu City in what is now Plaza Indepedencia.

The Fort is the "oldest, smallest and well preserved colonial fort" in the Philippines which occupy a land "area of 2,2025 square metres". It was first constructed in log structures and earth in 1565 for protection from violent sieges from the native cebuanos and Muslim pirates on the area. The fort was then developed , upgraded and constructed using hard stone, which made the surrounding walls stronger and tougher. It stretches "8 metres thick with high walls of 20 metres and a front entrance towering 30 metres high". The fort was finally finished in 1738 after many years of refurbishing and developments.

These days the fort is made into a museum. Inside, the fort houses the legacies of the Spanish Government with well preserved Spanish artifacts such as: documents written in Spanish, Paintings, Sculptures, cannons, Chapel, prison dungeons, living rooms, bedrooms, school rooms and oasis garden. A large statue of Legazpi and Antonio Pigafetta is erected outside the fort. The museum also contains old coins dating back to the time of the Spanish colonization of the Philippines.

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