Fort Nativity (Fuerte de Nacimiento)
| Fuerte de Nacimiento | |
|---|---|
| Nacimiento, Bío Bío Chile | |
Fuerte de Nacimiento, viewed from the north-east | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Fortress |
| Condition | partially restored |
| Location | |
Fuerte de Nacimiento | |
| Coordinates | 37°30′S 72°40′W / 37.500°S 72.667°W |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1603 1752 (present version) |
Fort Nativity (Spanish: El Fuerte de Nacimiento) is a fort founded by Governor Alonso de Ribera on 24 December 1603 at Nacimiento, Chile, roughly 550 km (350 miles) south of Santiago in what is now the central part of Chile. It was constructed on the western side of the Vergara River directly to the south of the Vergara's confluence with the Bío Bío, at what was then the country's southern frontier with the Araucano territories. Most of the fort's present structure dates from the middle of the eighteenth century.
It has been a designated national monument since 1954 and is currently undergoing significant restoration following earthquake damage in 2010.