The port city of San Carlos de Matanzas was founded in October 1693 with primarily, a military purpose. The construction of its main fortification, the Castillo de San Severino, took priority over the city and urbanization processes. Although the history of the foundation is satisfactorily understood, the pre-foundational processes are not. Based on new documental and archaeological evidence, we discuss and analyze the reconnaissance and transformation of the site planned for the city, and its

more »

... ortification, between 1681 and 1695. Our findings reveal that the Castillo was not built were strictly ordered by the crown and the city did not follow all the urbanization laws and royal decrees, thus allowing for a deeper understanding of the local conditions before and after the foundation of the city, plus the social mechanisms that such endeavors required in colonial Latin America.