Blanas Caribbean Forts And Hurricanes

US/ICOMOS 12th International Symposium “Preservation in Peril” New Orleans March 11-15 2009

THE PROTECTION OF THE FORTIFICATIONS IN THE CARIBBEAN AND THE IMPACTS OF HURRICANES AND TROPICAL STORMS. WHICH WILL BE THEIR FUTURE CONSEQUENCES?

Tres Reyes del Morro Castle. Havana. Cuba

Dra. Lic. Juana Tamara Blanes Martín. (Cuba) National Center of Conservation, Restoring and Museology Member of the Board of Directors of ICOMOS-CUBA Coordinator in America of ICOFORT (International Scientific Committee of Fortifications and Military Heritage)

PRESENTATION I am very happy to be here with you, participating in this important Symposium organized by the United States ICOMOS. I thank Mr. Donald Jones and the rest of the authorities who made it possible to organize this event in relation to the natural disasters and the threat to the cultural heritage preservation in the current world.

In this exchange of experiences, I feel obliged to talk about the anguished conservation problems of the fortifications in the Caribbean and about the more – intense – every – year impacts of tropical storms and hurricanes, between June and November.

As Coordinator of the American region of ICOFORT and in the name of a lot of people who work in the fortifications conservation in the Caribbean, I convey to you their restlessness and deep concern, with the commitment of exhorting you to ask them to undertake the actions derived from this congress.

2

PATRIMONIAL CARIBBEAN

VALUATION

OF

THE

FORTIFICATIONS

OF

THE

The Caribbean fortifications constitute a cultural

heritage

of

historical

and

monumental relevancy. They were built on a great scale to protect the Hispanic commercial colonies in the region. Their multiple typologies were of European origin and they were coupled to the scientific,

technical

and

armaments

development, from the XVI century to

San Diego de Acapulco Castle. Mexico.

the XIX century, the period of the Spanish colonization in America.

The Caribbean is very important because it was the space where the conquest, expansion and colonization of America were undertaken. Here, a commercial route between Spain and its colonies, of great

political,

economic

and

Mar Caribe

social

repercussion, was settled down. Also, nineteen typologies were built which evolved historically as towers, strong-holds, castles, bul-warked fortresses, redoubts, ramparts, turrets, platforms, bastions, magazines, batteries, hornworks, military cross-paths, defensive lines, lines of observation,

fortalices,

barracks,

guard-houses,

trenches and military hospitals. San José Redoubt. Campeche. Mexico.

Their multiple designs were mainly drawn by Italian, Spanish and French military engineers. Stonemasons, bricklayers, carpenters, blacksmiths, designers, slaves, and salaried workers took part in this great building enterprise.

3

Starting from the decade of the 80’s, in the XX century, some of these fortifications have been declared World Heritage by the UNESCO Convention. The historical, monumental and landscapist relevancy of the Castle San Lorenzo de Chagre and the fortifications of Portobelo were declared in 1980. These were the main defences of Central America and they were part of the fluvial route that communicated the Pacific Ocean with the Caribbean sea, function San Lorenzo de Chagre Castle.

which is carried out today by the Channel of Panama.

Old

Havana

and

its

system

of

fortifications in Cuba, obtained this distinction in 1982. This city, with its port of call, had transformed into one of the

main

commercial

squares

in

America. Its fortresses are genuine examples of the classic modern military architecture built in Hispano-America.

San Carlos de la Cabaña Fortress. Havana. Cuba.

The fortifications of San Juan de Puerto Rico, also reached this condition in 1982. These are valuable examples of the monumental Spanish colonial architecture. The Historical National Park of Haiti, which includes La Citadelle, the redoubts des Ramiers and the Palace Sans Souci, were added to the list of the World Heritage in 1982. Here, the most important warlike material of the colonial time in the Caribbean is preserved. La Citadelle.

4

The fortifications of Cartagena de Indias, in Colombia, got this distinction in 1985. They express the constructive changes which took place in the military architecture of the XVIII century.

The city of Santo Domingo, together with its fortifications,

in

Dominican

Republic,

received this declaration in 1990. Their defences were the first ones to be built in America. Homenaje Tower. Santo Domingo.

The castle San Pedro de la Roca del Morro in the city of Santiago de Cuba, obtained the category of World Heritage in 1997. It is both, a natural and built, group where history, architecture and nature are integrated.

San Pedro de la Roca del Morro Castle.

The city of Campeche, in Mexico, received this distinction in 1999, for its genuine examples of the military art. Its group has a great monumental value.

In the same year, this condition was also granted to the spectacular National Park of the fortress of Brimstone Hill, in Saint Kitts, small island in the Caribbean.

National Park. Saint Kitts.

5

PROTECTION OF THE FORTIFICATIONS OF THE CARIBBEAN AND REPERCUSSION OF THE IMPACTS OF TROPICAL STORMS AND HURRICANES Outstanding countries in the Caribbean like Puerto Rico, Cartagena de Indias, Santo Domingo, Venezuela, Panama, Mexico, Haiti, Cuba and others, have a group of monuments such as cities, fortresses and natural places, which have been declared World Heritage. This recognition has allowed them to legally protect the cultural and natural heritage through the UNESCO Convention (Organization of the United Nations for Education, Science and Culture), created in 1972.

There are also multiple cities and territories in the Caribbean

that,

they

not

do

although have

the

condition

of

World

Heritage,

for

several

reasons, they possess an outstanding

San Carlos Castle. La Guaira. Venezuela.

cultural

heritage. Their chattels and real estates are generally protected by their respective governments, although there is not a political will in all the countries to face their preservation.

The support of non- governmental international organizations, that have an economic back, is received to a certain extent. For example, the World Monuments Fund Foundation has been an organization that has contributed to the conservation and restoration of fortifications, such as the Castle of San Juan de Ulúa,

San Gerónimo Battery. Portobelo. Panamá.

in Veracruz, Mexico, the Castle San Lorenzo de Chagre and the Battery of San Gerónimo, in Portobelo, Panama.

6

From the middle of the XX century, the damage of the patrimonial goods, was already an object of concern, because it affects the evolution of the economic and social life; for the magnitude of the economic, scientific and technical means require by the conservation (since not all the countries have enough financial resources) and for the importance that has for all the towns, the conservation of the cultural goods which are unique, at a national and international scales.

In this new millennium other problems have been added, that are due to the polar thawing, as a consequence of the global heating. This phenomenon also rebounds in the region of the Caribbean at a vertiginous speed. Some historical cities, mainly those which are near the coasts, begin to feel the effects of the climatic changes. Cartagena de Indias, for its geographical position, had never been harmed by the tropical storms, but in the last few years, the sea level rise and the tides, have already caused it strong damages. The Cartagena de Indias City.

floods affect the city giving it the aspect of a “tropical Venice”, as it was recently expressed by the estimable friends and restorer of Cartagena de Indias, architect Alberto Samudio. The pavements and cobble stones, of the historical centre and the scarps of some sectors of the wall, are beginning to be affected by the floods.

San José de Bocachica Battery.

San José de Bocachica Battery.

San Fernando’s and San José batteries of Bocachica are affected in the entrance of the port: the sea penetrates and invades the parade-ground and the vaults where iconographical prints of patrimonial value also remain. These serious problems are questioned with concern, Claudia Fadull and María Pía Mogollón, chairwoman of the 7

board

and

executive

director, respectively, of Cartagena Public

Society

of

Improvements,

entity that takes care of the military monuments in that city. San José de Bocachica Battery.

In Haiti, the architect Frederick Mangones said that the last storm in the Caribbean, removed a great quantity of tiles in the Royal Battery in La Citadelle, on top of La Ferrière.

In the Island Margarita, Venezuela, the strong rains knocked down a rampart of Santa Rosa fortress, in the 2000, and recently one of the circumscribing walls of the Castle San Carlos de Borromeo, was partially demolished, towards the sand together with a part of its artillery. This information was given by Ileana Vasquez, president of ICOMOS-Venezuela and by the specialist Marina Urbaneja.

The historian Jorge Victoria Ojeda, director of the San Carlos de Borromeo Castle.

Popular Art Museum at the Yucatan Institute of

Culture and a fortification expert in the Mexican territory, mentions that the hurricanes Roxana (1995) and Isidoro (2002) caused serious damages and floods in the city of Campeche. He also adds that the hurricane Wilma (2005) produced the destruction of many walls and the damage in the agglutinative materials of the old trenches located on the north coast of the Yucatan peninsula.

The information given by the architect Sara Sanz, the engineer Gaspar Noriega, director of the fortress San Juan de Ulúa and by the architect Fernando F. Pérez Vignola, director of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), of Veracruz, are valuable to know the serious damages suffered by some of the most emblematic fortifications in the Caribbean: the Castle of San Juan de Ulúa, built to defend the port 8

of the old New Spain Viceroyalty and the Castle of San Carlos de Perote, built to protect the Royal Road from Veracruz to Mexico City, during the colonial period, which was a jail up to 2007. The Castle of San Juan de Ulúa has been seriously affected by natural forces and by man's action, during the XX century. The strong winds of the north, the rains that damage the structure of the building, the filtrations, the progressive humidity of the

San Juan de Ulúa Castle.

stone in the walls and vaults, the port infrastructure and the abrupt changes of temperatures, that cause detachments of coverings

and

proliferation

of

noxious

vegetation, have been permanent problems for more than one century.

Throughout these years, the government authorities of Mexico have periodically made conservation programs for this real estate. They have studied and applied advanced technologies, they have placed n

Castle San Juan de Ulúa

enclosure around it, with staked boards to protect the foundation of the Castle, and

San Juan de Ulúa Castle.

they have taken other constructive actions.

Although these works have not had

completely positive results, due to the aggressive area where the Castle is built, it has stayed until our days and now it faces new threats: the stronger - every - time increment of storms and hurricanes, in the Gulf of Mexico.

The effects of these phenomena in areas near the coasts are different from the effects in the areas of the interior of the country. For example, the Castle San Carlos de Perote is at 2, 400 meters high above the sea level, and considerable changes of temperature

9

frequently take place which drop to minus five (5 ° degrees), with fog and drizzle during the nights and rising of the temperature during the day. This situation keeps the building in constant state of humidity which has increased with the intense rains of last years, all of which generates noxious vegetation that reaches up to two centimetres thick.

San Carlos de Perote Castle.

MEASURES AND ACTIONS AGAINST THE NATURAL DISASTERS IN CUBA Tropical storms and hurricanes are the natural phenomena that have become worse and have caused more damage to Cuba, in the economic and social order. The bitter experiences suffered by Cubans have allowed them to create more perfect and effective measures to reduce the effects of disasters and emergency.

Camaguey City. Cuba (2008). Before hurricane Ike.

Camaguey City. Cuba (2008). During the crossing of the hurricane Ike.

An informative phase has been put into practice with the help of the massive means of communication (written press, radio, television) as an essential measure of prevention of disasters. These means allow the population and the different official organs of the country to have a quick knowledge of the phenomenon that threatens the country.

10

Depending on the concrete situation that threats the country, four phases of information have been designed, which are announced progressively, and in advance, to give time to mobilize all the sectors of the country to put into practice systems and measures of disaster prevention. These phases are:

1. The informative phase, which announces the existence of a disaster with more than 72 hours of advance; 2. The phase of cyclonic alert, which predicts with 48 hours in advance that the disaster can begin to affect the territory; 3. The phase of cyclonic alarm, which announces which 24 hours in advance, that the phenomenon will harm the national territory; and 4. The recuperative phase which begins after the phenomenon has passed.

Camaguey City. Cuba (2008). After hurricane Ike.

Camaguey City. Cuba (2008). Recuperative phase after hurricane Ike.

Besides taking these measures, Cuba continues studying alternatives and strategies to minimize the impact of tropical storms and hurricanes, and the vulnerabilities and risks to the communities and to the diverse instalments of the country. This task is led by the Council of National Defence, presided over by the President of the Council of State, through the Civil Defence. This is the organ of the State that centralizes leads and controls the organized plan, which must be followed by the population and all the state sectors of each area, municipality and province in the Cuban territory. Baracoa City. Cuba (2008). Recuperative phase after hurricane Gustav.

11

To protect the human life is the main priority. Also the economic, social and cultural resources are preserved by means of the population's cooperation and the measures put into practice by all the organisms and Cuban institutions, controlled by the Civil Defence.

Baracoa City. Cuba (2008). Recuperative phase after hurricane Gustav.

The recuperative phase, after the disaster has passed, is very important because in it we are going to work hard in order to get the elementary services of survival such as: the supply of drinking water, food, the cleaning of debris, the reestablishments of electricity, gas, the means of communications and the vital sectors of agriculture, public health, industry, culture and education.

12

CUBAN FORTIFICATIONS AND THEIR PROTECTION AGAINST NATURAL DISASTERS In Cuba, more than 400 defensive fortifications and of logistical support were built during the four centuries of Spanish colonization. Nowadays, around 100 remain in different conservation states. The protection laws of the Cuban cultural patrimony, promulgated in the Republic of Cuba in 1977, protect this cultural heritage, and the Cuban State, aware of its relevance works for its conservation.

However, as in other Caribbean countries, a specific plan does not exist to protect the fortifications against the disaster of hurricanes and tropical storms. Each monument, included the fortifications, is protected according to the place characteristics and functions. That is to say, each installation prepares a plan of measures according to its particularities: if they are located near the sea or inside the territory, if they have museums, gastronomic services or if they fulfil another function.

The protection measures for the real estates are rigorously fulfilled and their care and prevention is done according to their type and location. A great part of the fortifications totally conserved, works as museums. First, the goods for the museums and the basic ones are preserved in secure places; afterwards, the buildings are protected by means of the reinforcement of doors, windows, windows-panes and other cleaning actions. An internal evacuation plan is included, if necessary.

Impact of the hurricanes Kate (1985), Wilma (2005), Gustav and Ike (2008) The hurricanes Kate (1985) and Wilma (2005) were the ones that caused bigger damages to the

Havana

fortifications,

especially to the Castles of Los Tres Reyes del Morro and San Salvador de La Punta, which are located at the entrance of the port channel.

They are

fortifications of high historical

13

and monumental value, which were built by the Italian engineer Bautista Antonelli, to close the passage of the port channel from the XVI century.

For many years, the Castle of El Morro has faced constructive problems due to its environmental aggressiveness. The force of the winds of the hurricane Kate, 1985, moved two canyons Elorza in their rails and pulled up the sentry-box located in the rampart of Tejeda. It is not difficult to see Tres Reyes del Morro Castle.

how in the last years the waves have arrived until the height of the tower of the lighthouse, symbol of Havana city, built in the XVI century and reconstructed in the XIX century.

The historian Jorge Echevarría, then director of the museum of the Castle San Salvador de La Punta, has related the terrible experience suffered by this fortress during the passing of the hurricane Wilma in 2005. As preventive measures, objects of the museum, such as gold; silver bars, precious stones and other outstanding pieces which were removed from the Havana coast jetsam were taken out of the building in advance. Other objects, such as cabinets and basic means of the museum, were placed in the upper floor so that they didn't suffer damages.

San Salvador de la Punta Castle (2005). Before and after hurricane Wilma.

14

San Salvador de la Punta Castle (2005). After hurricane Wilma.

In his testimony, he mentions that water of the rain flooded the moat and rose up to two meters high inside the vaults. The Rescue and Salvage Brigade integrated by firemen, and the headquarters of the Protection and Security Company, played an important role in taking out the employees with ropes, in keeping the radio communication and in giving instructions about what should be done.

In the recuperative phase, they waited until the waters were drained and later on they carried out the tasks of cleaning and re-establishing the service infrastructure of the building. In 2009, the castle has not still restored its museum.

Baracoa, the first city founded in Cuba, which is located on the western part of the Island, suffers frequent sea penetrations due to the strong marine currents of the Atlantic Ocean. Its population witnessed the destruction of the city by the hurricanes Gustav and Ike in 2008. The pictures of that disaster travelled all over the world.

Baracoa City (2008). After hurricane Gustav.

15

The Community architect, Fabián Quintero Machado, witness of that phenomenon and executioner of the emergency housings plans for the population, said that the two Batteries located on the coast, Matachín and La Punta, both of the XVIII century and symbols of Baracoa, were seriously damaged, and at present, their future conservation worries the authorities of the municipality.

16

CONCLUSIONS •

The damage of the fortifications has generally been caused in the region of the Caribbean, by bad building interventions, by their inadequate uses, the lack of systematic maintenance, the lack of political will of some countries for their conservation and, most of all, by the environmental pollution due to the salinity, the presence of nearby industries and the port infrastructure. The ports have degraded the authenticity of the landscape, besides polluting the atmosphere, because of the bays dredge and the ship traffic. Nowadays, a new threat is added to their damage: the intensity and frequency of the atmospheric phenomena.

•

The recent sampling carried out in historical cities in the Caribbean such as Puerto Rico, Cartagena de Indias, Venezuela, Mexico, Haiti and Cuba, coincides in the fact that the fortifications, a cultural heritage which has survived along five centuries, are seriously damaged. Specific measures of protection for the coastal fortifications do not exist; neither a campaign to face the danger of meteorological disasters.

•

Cuba is an example of the putting into practice of an emergency plan of prevention against natural disasters. This organized system involves the whole Cuban territory, from its population to all the governmental organizations and institutions of the country. The fortifications are protected with the same preventive measures adopted for the real state. In spite of the obtained achievements, we go on trying to better each day the measures and the internal organization needed to face the meteorological phenomena.

•

The future of the fortifications in the Caribbean region constitutes a general concern of all the people who work in the preservation of the cultural heritage. It is a patrimony that was generally conceived for the coasts. Many of them were built on stakes and others were lifted on mountains, fields and cities.

•

The disappearance of many coastal fortifications, which constitute a patrimony of high historical and monumental value, is predicted, because the sea level is rising every year.

17

RECOMMENDATIONS •

The climatic and environmental challenges of the region demand a systematic monitoring of the fortifications so that they could be able to face the impact of the atmospheric phenomena and to lessen the damages.

•

The abandonment of the fortifications causes the total ruin of the real estate. Their care by a governmental institution or by a particular entity and their adequate use guarantee the protection of this cultural heritage, regarding any other circumstances.

18

BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Blanes Martín, Tamara. Fortificaciones del Caribe. Letras Cubanas, La Habana, Cuba. Printed in Madrid, España, 2001. 2. ________________. El valor de las fortificaciones del Caribe. Logros, conservación y perspectivas. Revista Apuntes. Publicación de la Pontificia Universidad Javeriana de Bogotá. Vol. 17, núms. 1-2, enero-diciembre 2004. Colombia. 3. ________________ . Fortificaciones cubanas. Revista de Historia Militar. Publicación del Instituto de Historia y Cultura Militar. Año L, Núm.99. Madrid, España, 2006, 4. ________________. Integridad de las fortificaciones del Caribe y sus declaratorias de Patrimonio Mundial. Revista Lettres de Cuba. Ministerio de Cultura de Cuba y Francia. CUBARTE. Ministerio de Cultura de Cuba. Publicación digitalizada. 2006. 5. Catastrofi naturali e beni culturali. Strategie di prevenzione e riabilitazione. A cura di Francesco Gurrieri e Gennaro Tampone, con la collaborazione del Collegio degli Ingegneri Della Toscana. Ente Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze, 2003. 6. Protección del Patrimonio Cultural. Compilación de Textos Legislativos. Consejo Nacional de Patrimonio Cultural. Ministerio de Cultura, 2002. 7. Vargas: patrimonio en emergencia. Edición al cuidado de María Ismenia Toledo. Cuadernos del Patrimonio Cultural. Serie Difusión. Instituto de Patrimonio Cultural, Caracas, Venezuela, 2000.

19