The Watchtowers
During the 16th and 17th century, watchtowers were built along the Cartagena area as safeguards against Berber pirates. Some of them were located on the coast as fishermen’s shelter and others inland as countrymen’s shelter serving, at the same time, as receivers of danger signals from the coast.

Nowadays the remaining towers are those called Santa Elena (La Azohía), Negro (El Algar), Moro (Cuesta Blanca) and Rubia (Molinos Marfagones). There were other towers which are not still up like: Towers of La Encanizada, Blanca, Estacio, Portman, Cabo de Palos, Nicolás Pérez and Navidad. Some of them were replaced by modern facilities like the Navidad tower which was turned into a lighthouse and a fort, and the Cabo de Palos tower was replaced by a lighthouse.