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Monte Fort in Portuguese Colony of Macau Reported by Becky Williams 
When I first saw Monte Fort, I thought, big deal, a brick wall. I thought there was absolutely no history to it. I was far from correct. The fort has a huge amount of history to it. The fort was made of chunambo, a mixture of earth, straw, lime, an oyster sauce. It was said that the mixture could resist cannons, but it was never tested on the cannon. Macau had great trading with China, Japan, Asia, and Europe. Holland wanted to be a part of the action so on their annual voyages to Nagasaki the Dutch tried to invade the fort. The Jesuit priests and slaves that were at Monte Fort were unprepared for battle. So, when the Dutch were invading, the Jesuits fired a cannon directly at the Dutch gunpowder supply, not knowing what else to do. It was a direct hit, so the Dutch never did invade Macau. Monte Fort was finished in 1626. They thought it could not be harmed. The Portuguese governor, Dom Francisco had dinner with the Jesuits and that is when he "won" Macau. During the dinner, he had all his soldiers protecting the gates. After the dinner, he showed the Jesuits off the property because the land was now his. I thought that the scenery of Macau was very appealing. It made me feel safe because all the trees were hovering over the remains of the fort. There were many cannons, and they were all vandalized. It was really tempting to write my name on one for a memory.
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