Fort Guijarros

Museum Foundation

The ruins of Fort Guijarros, San Diego's Old Spanish Fort, symbolize a shared legacy between modern Spain and the United States that everyone can enjoy.

The Fort is the site of Spain's discovery of California in 1542 as well as the founding of San Diego's whaling industry, the site of the U.S. Army's Fort Rosecrans, and thirty years of U.S. Navy submarine history. Christened "San Joaquin" in 1796, the fort later became known as Fort Guijarros--"Guijarros" means small cobblestones, an apt term for the abundant ballast stones found on Ballast Point.

Since 1981, researchers from the Fort Guijarros Museum Foundation, through the generous support and permission of the United States Navy, have excavated what remains of the old Spanish Fort. The Museum Foundation's all-volunteer excavations and research continue in search of more clues to better understand the mystery of Fort Guijarros.

copyright 2009 Fort Guijarros Museum Foundation