Pirate History in Santiago de Cuba

History lessons don't come any more spectacular than at El Morro castle in Santiago de Cuba. Perched nearly 200 feet above the Caribbean Sea, guarding entrance to the city's harbor, the fortress offers dramatic vistas of Cuba's rugged south coast as well as a peek at local pirate history.

Click on Santiago de Cuba: A City of 500 Years

The Castillo de San Pedro de la Roca del Morro, as it's properly known, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site considered the most complete and best-preserved example of Spanish-American military architecture.

The fort was designed in 1587 by famed Italian engineer Giovanni Bautista Antonelli (who also designed Havana's El Morro) specifically to repel pirates. Building of its massive ramparts, terraces, batteries and magazines wasn't complete until the early 1700s. Before it could be finished, El Morro would be assailed and partially destroyed by British privateer Henry Morgan in 1664.

Today this swashbuckling era is documented in El Morro's Museo de Pirateria. Visitors can learn about the real pirates that once prowled Cuban waters, explore the castle and witness the firing of a historic cannon each evening at sunset.

Located about 6 miles from city center, El Morro is included on many sightseeing tours from resorts near Santiago de Cuba. A seafood meal on Cayo Granma, accessible by ferry from Punta Gorda just below El Morro fort, is the perfect end to a day on Cuba's pirate coast.