García Tower

García Tower, locally known as Torre García, lies next to the beach, southwest of the village of Retamar in the province of Almería in Spain.

Ever since the Turkish settlement in Algiers in 1516, the entire coast of the Spanish Mediterranean was threatened by attacks of Barbary pirates who landed on the coast and ravaged and looted towns and rural settlements, taking away the inhabitants as slaves. So, in 1552, during the reign of Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor, lots of defensive watchtowers were started being built along the coast, from Alicante down to Cádiz. Most however were built or completed during the reign of his son, Philip II of Spain, during the second half of the 16th century.

García Tower was built between 1571 and 1575 during the reign of Philip II, probably on the site of an Arabic predecessor. It is a round tower, situated between the nearby Perdigal and San Miguel towers. If enemy ships were sighted, it communicated with the other towers by means of smoke during daytime and fire during nighttime.

In 1759 it was reported to be in good condition and manned by 2 guards from the Guardia Civil. It was repaired in 1773. In 1849 the tower was still well-preserved. At that time the guards lived in a nearby house. In the 20th century it was abandoned. In the 1980s it was restored.

At present García Tower can freely be visited. The tower itself, however, is fenced off. So its interior can not be visited. A simple tower with a curious hermitage almost beside it.

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