Srategic Location
The Santa Teresa Fortress is located in the department of Rocha, set on a rocky elevation 40 meters above sea level and 900 meters southeast of kilometer 303 of Route 9, the former Camino de la Angostura. It lies between the fishing village of Punta del Diablo and the seaside town of La Coronilla, 2 km from the Atlantic Ocean and 5 km from Laguna Negra.
Its location was not accidental: the Angostura passage was the only firm land route between the wetlands and the sea, making this point key for controlling access to the Banda Oriental or the Portuguese territories of Rio Grande, depending on which side held military control.
Today, the fortress is part of Santa Teresa National Park, created to preserve both the fortress and its surrounding natural environment of dunes and wetlands. In 1927 it was declared a National Historic Monument and has since been under the administration of the Department of Historical Studies of the Army General Staff.