El Morro Castle dates back to 1630 and was the 1^st defensive fortress put in place by the Spanish crown. The Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña (Fort of Saint Charles) known as La Cabaña, was the 2^nd fortress that was built in the late 1700s following the English invasion in 1762. The latter is the largest fort built by the Spanish in the Americas and it is the seat of the popular cannon shot ceremony that reminds visitors of when Havana was a walled city where a cannon was shot at dawn and at dusk signaling the opening and the closing of its gates. The two forts together comprise the largest and most powerful defensive complex built by the Spanish Crown in the American continent.