Port Royal meanwhile flourished.
Between 1655 and 1692, it grew faster than any town founded by the English in the New World.
Its residents ostentatiously displayed their wealth and indulged in all kinds of vices.
The town developed a reputation as a den of wickedness and godlessness.
In 1692, a massive earthquake shook Jamaica and the resulting tsunami swallowed a significant section of Port Royal.
What remained standing was brought to ruins fifteen years later by another earthquake.
Not a single building in Port Royal remained upright.
The Giddy House tilted at an angle and sunk halfway into the ground.
Port Royal lived out its days as a British naval station and today remains as a small fishing village.
Photo credit:Christian y Sergio Velasco/Flickr
Photo credit:howard wong/Flickr
Inside the Giddy House.
Photo credit:Christian y Sergio Velasco/Flickr
Fort Charles.
Photo credit:Kent MacElwee/Flickr
Fort Charles.
Photo credit:Stephane DAMOUR/Flickr
