A Closer View of the Castillo

Sock Monkey, being extremely curious (like some "other" monkey's) decided to take a closer view of the Castillo de San Marcos walls. He was fascinated by the tiny shells imbedded in the walls of the fort and intrigued by the amount of Coquina that it took to build the Castillo de San Marcos and the fact that it was all mined by hand across the Matanzas Bay.

Next time: Sock Monkey's view of a a cannon...NOT to be missed!

*Coquina is an incompletely consolidated sedimentary rock found in coastal Florida. Coquina was formed in association with marine reefs and is a variety of "coral rag", and is technically a subset of limestone.

The stone makes a very good material for forts, particularly those built during the period of heavy cannon use. Because of coquina's softness, cannon balls would sink into, rather than shatter or puncture, the walls of the Castillo de San Marcos.

When first quarried, coquina is extremely soft. This softness makes it very easy to remove from the quarry and cut into shape. However, the stone is also at first much too soft to be used for building. In order to be used as a building material, the stone is left out to dry for approximately one to three years, which causes the stone to harden into a usable, but still comparatively soft, form.

Sock Monkey at Castillo de San Marco National Monument

Sock Monkey's first stop was the Castillo de San Marcos. This historic old fort has been the main (and best known) landmark in St. Augustine since 1695. Check back to see exactly what trouble Sock Monkey can get into on the fort grounds!

Sock Monkey was intrigued to see the original architecture the has survived hurricanes and storms, invasions by pirates, armies and even a few tourists (the most dangerous of all!).

*The Castillo de San Marcos has well over 300 years of history in it's walls. It was under construction for twenty-three years and was completed in 1695. It was known as Fort Marion from 1821 until 1942 and Fort St. Mark from 1763 until 1984 while under British control.

A bastion of the largest empire ever created, the Castillo was built to protect and defend Spain’s claims in the New World. Though caught in the whirlwinds of colonial warfare and intrigue, it was never defeated in battle.

The Castillo de San Marcos is made up of a locally mined stone called Coquina and the walls still stand proud.