Fortaleza San Luis is located near the

Yaque del Norte River The Yaque Del Norte River ( Spanish, ''Río Yaque del Norte'') is the longest river in the Dominican Republic, as well as the second longest river on Hispaniola, behind the Artibonite River. It is 296 km long and flows northwest into the Atlant ...

in southwest

Santiago de los Caballeros Santiago de los Caballeros ("James, son of Zebedee, Saint James of the Knights"), often shortened to Santiago, is the second-largest city in the Dominican Republic and the fourth-largest city in the Caribbean by population. It is the capital of ...

, Dominican Republic. The Fort was the location of several battles during the War of Restoration. Fortaleza San Luis has also served as a Municipal Prison and more recently the fort has been converted into a Museum.

History

The fort, throughout its history has been vital to the protection and control of the Dominican Republic's second city, Santiago, and by extension the entire Cibao Valley region. After Independence from

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

and fearing a repeat invasion by Haiti, then president

Pedro Santana Pedro Santana y Familias, 1st Marquess of Las Carreras (June 29, 1801June 14, 1864) was a Dominican soldier and politician who served three times as the president of the First Dominican Republic (1844–1861) and was the first governor-genera ...

requested the re-annexation of the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

in March 1861. As such, Spain sent 4 infantries under the command of Colonel Ramon de Portal y Santo Domingo to occupy the fort. Santana's decision was not popular amongst a Nationalist movement and the War of Restauration ensued. Dominican forces repelled the Spanish and by September 1863 the fort was recaptured by Dominican forces. After the restoration of the Republic, the fort was converted into a military school, which in 1875, graduated its first class of

Cadets A cadet is a student or trainee within various organisations, primarily in military contexts where individuals undergo training to become commissioned officers. However, several civilian organisations, including civil aviation groups, maritime o ...

from Officers Training in the Yaque Battalion. In 1881, the fort added a new

garrison A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters. A garrison is usually in a city ...

next to the armory and in 1884, a Military Hospital was added to the fort. In 1886, President Ulises Heureaux gave as a gift to

a clock tower that was installed in the Fortaleza San Luis. During the

1916 United States occupation of the Dominican Republic The Military Government of Santo Domingo (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Gobierno Militar de Santo Domingo'') was a Provisional government, provisional military government established during the American occupation of the Dominican Republic that l ...

1,500

4th Marines The 4th Marine Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps. Based at Camp Schwab in Okinawa, Japan, it is part of the 3rd Marine Division of the III Marine Expeditionary Force. Mission 4th Marine Regiment conducts littora ...

Regiment held the Fortaleza San Luis. Later in 1924, after achieving the political goals of "''stabilization''" the

Regiment would leave the fort. Prisioneros Notables * Leopoldo Espaillat a Polo (1891) * Don Máximo Grullon (1863) * Aristides Patiño a Tilo (1891) * Gral Evangelista Núñez (1874) Gdor de

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

Renovation

In 2004, the fort was renovated and converted into a museum. The project was funded by the government, the private sector and by a philanthropist. The first-phase of the project came at a cost of $83,966.00RD pesos.

References

{{Coord, 19, 26, 53.6886, N, 70, 42, 10.15, W, display=title, region:DO_type:landmark San Luis Museums in the Dominican Republic Dominican Restoration War Santiago de los Caballeros Buildings and structures in Santiago Province (Dominican Republic) Tourist attractions in Santiago Province (Dominican Republic)