This is the oldest preserved military construction on the island. It was built during the first half of the 16th century by sancho de herrera, who placed it over the caldera de guanapay, a strategic vantage point from which to keep watch over the area’s ports and coasts. From the second half of the 19th century, such fortresses became ineffective and began to fall into disrepair. After many years of neglect, in 1960 the friends of the castles of Lanzarote started repair and preservation work on the fortress of Santa Bárbara. Since 1998 it has been run by the Teguise town council, which has converted it into its present incarnation as the museum of piracy.