The Cultured Traveller 17

On the northern coast of Colombia,
Cartagena’s historical and political
heritage is undeniable. Founded in 1533
by Spanish commander Pedro de Heredia, the
city soon established itself as the leading trade
and governmental seat of the New World
Conquistadors. Gold tombs and Indian reserves
were immediately pillaged by the invaders, and
the city soon became a huge bank vault for the
precious jewels, silver and bullion that the
Spanish were ripping from the hearts of
Colombia and neighbouring Peru and shipping
back to Europe. Seven miles of fortified walls –
the largest in Latin America – were built to
defend against the many pirates, English
privateers and host of
other nefarious characters
who frequently tried to
ransack the plundered
wealth stored within the
imposing fort. Largely
governed by the Spanish,
they have all left their
fingerprints firmly in the
aesthetics of Cartagena’s
architecture.
The stunning city was
granted World Heritage
Site status by UNESCO in
1984 and remains one of
the most authentic and
well-maintained
examples of Spanish period colonial
architecture in the world. The French, Dutch
and British also invaded and ruled for brief
periods of time, and Cartagena became one of
only two slave trading ports in the Americas –
the other being in Mexico. Such a mixture of
influencing cultures, through incredibly
tumultuous times, has imbued Cartagena with
a unique and special identity; part African, a
dash of pirate, a slice of Europe, a significant
Caribbean flavour, a smidgen of Native Indian
but one hundred per cent Colombian,
encompassing all the colour, passion and
vibrancy that runs through the veins of this
extraordinarily diverse country.