This article contributes to the understanding of the colonizing process of the Spanish kingdom in America during the sixteenth century, when fortifications played a fundamental role in the control and expansion of conquered territory. It presents the particular case of a strong house that existed in the territory of Santa Marta, where the indigenous populations strongly opposed the conquest. The article uses archival sources, academic texts, and fieldwork to reconstruct the meaning of this and other buildings in the area of study, presenting new information on the history of social relations in Santa Marta.