The Castillo de Santa María de la Cabeza is the smaller of Cumaná's two surviving colonial forts. Built in the early 1700s to defend the mouth of the Manzanares River and to back up the larger Castillo de San Antonio above it, it sits low on a small rise just inland from the river.
The fort is partially ruined and rarely sees more than a few visitors; the layout and the cannons on display give a clear sense of how an early colonial port was defended. It pairs naturally with a visit to the Castillo de San Antonio higher up the hill.