“The chosen place was to the west of the city of Penco. All the expedition members and their assistants working together, raised a crescent-shaped stronghold of thick buried timber with a deep, wide well to reinforce the defence...” (Encina) After the conclusion of the Battle of Andalién, the Spanish retreated behind a fortress that Pedro de Valdivia ordered to be constructed, and that which, like a shield, allowed them to defend and attack. Eventually, the place described by the Spanish Governor as “the best port in the Bay of the Indies”, the city of Penco was established.