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Sancti Petri Castle is a defensive fortification located on the islet of Sancti Petri at the mouth of the Sancti Petri channel, in the municipality of San Fernando. It was part of the line of fortifications that protected the entrance to the Sancti Petri channel, an arm of the sea that flows out in front of the islet, together with the defensive batteries at the tip of Boquerón (the Urrutia battery, the San Genís battery and the Aspiroz battery), forming a complex of strategic and military importance for the area. The watchtower is the oldest construction (1610). The rest of the construction, the walls and the interior of the enclosure, date from the 18th century. Although there is evidence of human settlement in this area from a much earlier period known as the Temple of Hercules Gaditano or Hercules-Melkart. At this time the islet did not exist, as it was located on the main island of the Cadiz archipelago, the island of Kotinoussa, which extended to present-day Cadiz.