Ground penetrating radar investigation of an ancient Spanish fortress: The Fort of San Diego, Acapulco, Mexico

Abstract

The Fort of San Diego is an ancient Spanish fortress built in the early 17th century and restored, after a severe earthquake, in the 18th century. To establish the architectural modifications through time and the relevance of the fort as a witness of Acapulco's history we used the non-invasive GPR technique. The objective was to detect the existence of tunnels or other anthropogenic features undertaken through time on this fortress. GPR results showed evidence of cylinders and foundation walls of the original fort and, maybe, the existence of voids.