Fortaleza de Santa Teresa

Fortaleza de Santa Teresa, or Fortaleza Santa Tereza is a military fortification located 36 km (22 mi) south of Chuy and 305 km (190 mi) northeast of Montevideo on Route 9, in the Rocha Department of eastern Uruguay. It lies about 800 m (2,600 ft) from the coast at Playa la Moza, almost halfway between Angostura (to the south) and La Coronilla (to the north), north of Punta del Diablo and roughly 4 km (2.5 mi) northeast of the northeast bank of the Laguna Negra. It lies within the Santa Teresa National Park. It was erected from October 1762 by the Portuguese, having abandoned the attempt at building a fort in Maldonado and leaving the Fuerte San Miguel.

The region is characterized by vast expanses of dunes on the coast, as well as a series of wetlands located west and north. The fort was strategically located on a rocky outcrop at 58 m above sea level along the Camino de la Angostura, the only way through the marshes to the sea.

It has the shape of an irregular pentagon, and five angles are finished in projecting bastions. There are five checkpoints for each angle of the pentagon, elegantly constructed in the form of carved stone pulpit. The perimeter of the fortress measures 652 meters and it occupies one hectare in area.

The walls are massive, built with huge granite masonry, strictly equal in size and perfectly carved. The outer wall is about four feet thick at the base and about two meters, the interior, filling the space between one and another. A solid embankment in some places is up to 7 m wide. The height of the outside walls in some places reaches to 11.5 m.

“La puerta principal” It is built of solid wood arched at the top and looks to the west. “La Puerta oculta de socorro”. Looks south, and is of smaller proportions than “la Puerta Principal”. “El Túnel de la Trinchera” corresponds to what is now identified as a deep trench with walls of smaller stones located in front of the fortress in an east-west direction. “El Túnel del Arca”. is supposed to be hidden underground under the Fort. According to oral tradition, it consists of three or more rooms connected by walkways and a large tunnel that goes to the East. The output would be found somewhere near the Atlantic Ocean about 2000 m away. The popular belief here is that a secret artifact is hidden underground called the Arca secreta del Padre Lucas.

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Wikipedia