San Jerónimo Fort

San Jerónimo Fort was built in several stages between 1596 and 1779 to protect the transportation of goods from South America to Spain. In the late sixteenth century, the Spanish, to protect the transportation of goods from South America to Spain, moved their port city on the Isthmus of Panama from Nombre de Dios to Portobelo and immediately began construction on a new fort. Because pirate attacks were frequent the fort was strategically sited along the shoreline to protect the movement of goods. The original fort was completed in 1596. Substantial portions of the fort were rebuilt after 1758, incorporating new developments in military architecture. Both the original fort and the additions are important examples of historic architecture with diverse European influences, constructed as part of an extensive defensive system in the Spanish Caribbean.

In the early 2000s, working with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the Panamanian Institute of Culture, along with local agencies, WMF developed a plan for cultural and natural resources management. 

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