Pampatar, or Port Royal Mampatare, was founded in 1536 on the shore of the best protected deep water anchorage on the island.

Its purpose, together with the La Caranta fort on the other side of the bay, was to protect the town from pirates with crossfire.

[4] In 1664 Captain Carlos Navarro began the reconstruction of the castle after a design by military engineer Juan Betín.

When he reached the island in August 1677 he found that it had been devastated earlier in the year by a privateering raid by the French Marquis de Maintenon.

Gadea focused all available resources, including some of his own funds, on completing and manning Fort San Carlos.

After boarding all the soldiers and supplies, they left a lighted fuse leading to a pile of gunpowder that would have destroyed the castle.

[3] The next year the Spanish under General Pablo Morillo returned to the island and made the fort their headquarters during a campaign to regain control.

[6] The castle is a classical example of contemporary military architecture, typical of fortifications built along the coast of Venezuela during that period.