The San Juan River
Chapter 12. The Atlantic Coast and its Caribbean pirates
Historical Center, Tlaxcala City, Tlaxcala, Mexico
“Over there! See how the San Juan River is born as it merges with the lake? Nowadays, that’s the route the banana boats follow. The boats come all the way from Granada, dock overnight at Ometepe, and then, follow the river until they come out to the Atlantic Coast. From here, till it reaches the coast, the river divides Nicaragua and Costa Rica. On each side of the river, is one of the countries.
“Now we’re going to fly lower; check out the San Carlos Fort! You see how the building is exactly where the river enters the lake? It was the last line of defense against the pirate incursions.” As he described the details, we descended and clearly appreciated the fort and its battlements from the plane.
“The Spanish Army built the San Carlos Fort, as a result of the terrible shock dealt to the locals, by the surprise attack of the Jamaican, as it happened on that terrible morning, when he ravaged and plundered Granada City.” He explained how this fort and its defenses were set up against the arrival of a bloodthirsty warship.
As he described the vulnerabilities of both the offensive and the defensive parties involved in this particular kind of warfare, we flew around in slow circles, descending and climbing to different altitudes, to examine from various perspectives, each single aspect he described in lengthy detail. Those spontaneous lessons I received from my grandfather, were unquestionably something else, especially the field work involved! Again we gained altitude and proceeded at a leisurely pace towards the coast. After a bit more than half an hour, we descended, and he pointed to some immense stone constructions next to the river. They were clearly the ruins of buildings from a long time ago.
“There lies the Fort of the Immaculate Conception, built after the second assault by the pirates. Remember the French pirate, Dampier? At this point, we are still around halfway between the lake and the Atlantic.”
“Now I understand why the Frenchman decided to attack by the Pacific. This route is definitely a long and roundabout way to get to Granada.” I answered.
“Of course, my child, that outlaw was definitely no fool.” He replied smiling sarcastically.
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