Fort Charles - Port Royal

Port Royal is a town with old-world charm that is located in southeastern Jamaica. Founded by the Spanish in 1494, Port Royal was once the largest city in the entire Caribbean and was the centre of shipping and commerce in the Caribbean Sea by the late 17th century. On June 7, 1692, devastation struck as the town was destroyed by a massive earthquake, followed by a tsunami. As a result, two-thirds of the city of Port Royal was sunk and remains underwater to this day. As a matter of fact, these natural disasters led to the establishment of the nation’s capital city, Kingston.

Despite these catastrophic events, much of Port Royal’s original architecture has been preserved to this day to allow tourists and locals to learn about the rich history of this once robust town – including original houses, street signs, military barracks, canons and other weapons. The first fort to be erected in Port Royal was Fort Charles. It was built in the late 1650-60 and was originally called Fort Cromwell but was renamed Fort Charles.

Port Royal has also been the centre of several literary pieces as well as been featured in several films including the infamous Pirates of the Caribbean. It is truly an amazing experience to visit an area so rich in not only Jamaica’s history, but the Caribbean as a whole.