San Carlos de la Barra Fortress

San Carlos de la Barra Fortress is a seventeenth century star fort protecting Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela.

The San Carlos de la Barra fort is one of a number of coastal fortifications which the Spanish built in Venezuela in colonial times. It is located in the Peninsula of San Carlos, in Zulia state, Venezuela. It was built in 1623 with limestone rocks, brought from the Island of Toas, at the entrance to the Maracaibo bar. The purpose of the fort was to protect the pass that connects Lake Maracaibo with the Gulf of Venezuela. Prior to the fort being constructed, Maracaibo had been attacked and sacked several times by pirates and the castle was intended to provide a true defense of the town and surrounding area that would prevent incursions by pirates into the mainland.