French pirates attacked Santa Cruz de La Palma on 21 July 1553,[1] after which the town constructed a series of fortifications.

[2] The castle was decaying by the mid-1660s due to the sea and storms[1] causing the nearby Barranco de Las Nieves to overflow (such as one on 14 January 1671).

Initial funding of 30,000 silver reales to construct the castle was by public subscription, with the remainder from the island's government in 1686.

It is quadrangular, with triangle bastions on the corners, and a wide embankment and moat crossed by a wooden bridge.

The layout is similar to that of the now-demolished Castle of San Cristóbal in Tenerife i.e. square with a rampart at each corner.

The auction took place on 17 February 1949, when it was sold to a group of merchants represented by Manuel Rodríguez Acosta for 300,000 pesetas.