Castillo de la Luz

Castillo de la Luz rises beside the harbour as a compact block of pale yellow ashlar, with a square plan and three levels. Slim corner towers and cannon embrasures face the sea, while the low silhouette keeps its defensive character. Streets and harbour activity now surround the fortress, which once stood on a reef and could be cut off by the tide.

Built in 1494 as the first defensive work after the conquest, the structure later endured alterations, abandonment and restoration. Work in 1969 added a moat and arches, while a 1998 project recovered many original features and its medieval geometry. Declared a historic-artistic monument in 1941, it has housed the Martín Chirino Art and Thought Foundation since 2015.

Inside, a central courtyard gathers the rooms around an old cistern, recalling daily life within the walls. Martín Chirino’s iron sculptures bring contemporary forms into these historic spaces, creating a visible meeting between curved metal and rough stone. Look upward at the crenellated outline, then notice how the harbour setting contrasts with the fort’s former isolation.