Castillo de San Pedro de la Roca The Castillo de San Pedro de la Roca ( also known by the less formal title of Castillo del Morro or as San Pedro de la Roca Castle ) is a fortress on the coast of the Cuban city of Santiago de Cuba . About 6 miles ( 10 km ) southwest of the city centre , it overlooks the bay . History . Initial design . It was designed in 1637 by Giovanni Battista Antonelli ( also known as Juan Battista Antonelli ) , a member of a Milanese family of military engineers , on behalf of the governor of the city , Pedro de la Roca de Borja , as a defense against raiding pirates , although an earlier , smaller , fortification had been built between 1590 and 1610 . Antonelli design was adapted to the situation of the fortress on the steep sides of the promontory ( the " morro " from which the fortress gets its name ) reaching into the bay . It was constructed on a series of terraces ; there were four main levels and three large bulwark s to house the artillery . Supplies would be delivered by sea and then stored in the large warehouse , which was cut directly into the rock , or transported up to the top level which housed the citadel . Construction of the citadel took 62 years , starting in 1638 and finally being completed in 1700 , though work on the fortification was spasmodic . Antonelli was recalled to Cuba in 1645 , shortly after the massive project was started , and other examples of his work can be seen there in the twin forts of Fuerte del Cojimar and Torreón de la Chorrera ( Fuerte de Santa Doratea de Luna de Chorrera ) . Some of the structures from the earlier fortification were later incorporated into the main structure . Further construction . The fear of pirate attacks was well - founded . While the fortress was still being constructed in 1662 , English freebooters under the guidance of Christopher Myngs took control of Santiago for two weeks and during their stay destroyed part of the fortification and captured the artillery . After they departed , the Spanish government ordered the reconstruction of the damaged part of the fortress and raised the garrison to 300 men . Between 1663 and 1669 the engineers Juan Císcara Ibáñez , Juan Císcara Ramirez and Francisco Perez worked on repairing the damage and improving the fortifications , strengthening the flanks and constructing a new artillery platform . In 1678 it frustrated the attack of a French squadron and in 1680 fought off another attack by 800 men led by Franquesma , the second - in - command of the Antilles filibusters . Between 1675 and 1692 the fortress was damaged by a series of earthquakes and reconstruction had to be carried out under the direction of Francisco Pérez between 1693 and 1695 . From 1738 - 1740 further work was undertaken by the engineer Antonio de Arredondo , who enlarged the citadel and completed some of the unfinished platforms , with Juan Martín Cermeño and Francisco Calderín making the final changes to the structure after it was again damaged by earthquakes between 1757 and 1766 . By 1775 , the fear of attack had diminished , and the parts of fortress known as the Rock ( " la Roca " ) and the Star ( " la Estrella " ) were converted into a prison for political prisoners , although the rest of the fortress continued to serve as a military base . It was again used as a fortress in 1898 when the United States ' fleet attacked Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish - American War . World Heritage Site . During the 20th century the Rock fell into decay , but it was restored during the 1960s by Francisco Prat Puig . The fortress was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997 , cited as the best preserved and most complete example of Spanish - American military architecture .