Fort Soledad, Umatac

Fort Soledad was built between 1805 and 1813. In 1995, Phase I of the Restoration of Fort Soledad was completed. It was the intention of the GPT to conduct a restoration of the fort in the truest sense of the word. That is, only materials and methods that were close to the original form would be used. By doing so, it was hoped that the process of construction would also serve as an education for locals and visitors to the site. Due to the complexity and exorbitant costs involved in such an endeavor, work on PHASE II was suspended indefinitely. Materials that appear to be concrete are in fact “mamposteria” a lime/mortar mix that was the prevalent bonding agent in stone buildings of Spanish era Guam. It was the last of a series of fortifications build near Umatac Bay to protect the Manila Galleons. From its location overlooking Umatac Bay, it could protect the Galleons as they stopped here on their way from Acapulco to Manila. When Mexico revolted against Spain, the Galleon voyages stopped and the Fort was abandoned and fell into ruins only a few years after it was finished.