This view is from the top of Sugarloaf Mountain down its north facing slope. At the base of the mountain is Fortaleza de Sao Joao da Barra do Rio de Janeiro or popularly known as the Fortaleza de Sao Joao (Fort of St. John), a 16th century star fort in the present-day Urca neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro. The fort was erected by Estacio de Sa to protect Guanabara Bay from French invasion. The original fort was built in 1565 under Sebastian of Portugal. An expanded and improved structure was put into service in 1618, consisting of four batteries. Its armaments were greatly reduced and not manned during Brazil's Regency period, but Dom Pedro II ordered the fort completely renovated in 1872, and it was equipped with a complement of guns, bunkers, and batteries, including fifteen Whitworth cannons. It was manned as a coastal artillery installation until 1991. In 1930, the Brazilian Army's Centro Militar de Educacao Fisica (created in 1922) was transferred to the Fortaleza de Sao Joao. This establishment was renamed Escola de Educacao Fisica do Exercito in 1933 and continues to be based at the Fortaleza de Sao Joao, together with the directorate to which it is subordinated, the Directoria de Pesquisa e Estudos de Pessoal (Wikipedia). This picture was taken on 20 June 2011, Sig... Thanks for visiting!