GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION
 

Cartagena de Indias is located in the middle of the 1600 km long Colombian Caribbean   coast, roughly half a way from the Panama border on the west, and theVenezuela on   the east.  The city is known  for being  both  a  place  full of  history, quite unique in   Latinamerica, and Colombia's most fascinating city.

 

HISTORY
 

Cartagena  was  founded  in  1533  by  Pedro  de  Heredia. It quickly  grew into a rich town but in 1552  a fire destroyed a large number of its wooden buildings. Since that time only stone, brick and tile have been permitted as building materials. Within  a short  time  the town  blossomed  again  into  the  main  Spanish  port on the  Caribbean coast  and the gateway to all of northern South  America.  It was the  storehouse for the treasure plundered  from the Indians until the galleons could ship  it back to Spain.  No wonder then that Cartagena became a tempting target for all sorts of  buccaneers marauding the Caribbean Sea. In  the  16th  century  alone  the  town  suffered  five  dreadful  sieges  by  pirates, the most famous (or infamous) of which was headed by Sir  Francis Drake.  He sacked  the  port  in  1586  and `mercifully' agreed not to burn the town to the ground  once  he was  presented  with a  huge ransom of 10 million pesos, which he shipped back to England. It  was  in  response to pirate attacks that the Spaniards decided  to make Cartagena  an impregnable port and constructed elaborate walls encircling the town, and a chain of outer forts to protect it.  These  fortifications  made the city  unique in South America and helped to save Cartagena  during the  fiercest  and  biggest  attack  of all, headed by Edward Vernon in 1741.  He launched an offensive  with a fleet of 186 ships, over 2000 cannons and about 25,000 men.  The defence was commanded by Don Blas de Lezo. In  spite  of the  high price it had to pay for the pirate attacks, Cartagena continued to flourish.  The Canal del Dique, constructed in 1650 to connect Cartagena Bay with the Magdalena River, made the town the main gateway forships to the ports upriver,  and  a  large part of the shipped  inland  passed  through  Cartagena. The  town was also granted a royal monopoly as a slavetrading port. During the long colonial period, Cartagena was the most important bastion of the Spanish overseas empire and influenced much of Colombia's history. The  indomitable  spirit  of  the  inhabitants  was  rekindled  again  at  the  time  of  the  independence movement.   Cartagena  was  one  of the first towns  to  proclaim independence from Spain  early  in  1810, which prompted Bogota  and other cities to do the same. The  declaration was  signed  on  11 November 1811, but the city eventually paid dearly for it.  Spanish  forces under  Pablo Morillo were  sent in 1815 to reconquer and `pacify' the town and finally took it after a four-month siege. Over 6000 inhabitants died of starvation and disease. In  August  1819  Simon  Bolivar's  troops defeated  the Spaniards  at Boyaca and brought freedom to Bogota. However, Cartagena had to wait for its liberation until October 1821 when the patriot forces eventually took the city from the sea. It  was  Bolivar who gave Cartagena its well deserved name of `La Heroica', the  Heroic  City.  Cartagena  soon began  to  recover and was shortly once again the trading and shipping centre of South America.The city's prosperity attracted foreign immigrants, and many Jews, Italians, French, Turks, Lebanese and Syrians settled  here. Today  their  descendants  own  many  of  the  hotels  and restaurants,  particularly  in  Bocagrande.  Over  the  past  decades Cartagena  has expanded dramatically and is now surrounded by vast suburbs.  Its population grew from 490,000 in 1985  to  660,000  in 1993. It is today  Colombia's  second  largest  port. The  town has changed very little,  it is a living museum of 16th and 17th-century architecture.

CLIMATE
 

Cartagena's climate is typically Caribbean, with its average annual temperature of 28 degrees Celsius, changing very little throughout the year. Although the days are hot, a fresh breeze blows in the  even- ings making it a pleasant time to stroll around the city.  The dry  season  lasts  approximately from November to April;  the rest of the year is wetter. Mean annual rainfall is about 900mm.

ORIENTATION
 

The heart of the city is the old town, facing the sea to the west and almost entirely separated by water from the mainland to the east.The old  town was built in two sections, creating an inner and outer town. Both  were  surrounded  by  walls  and  separated from each other by  a  channel,  the Caño  de  San Anastasio. The  channel was filled up to make way for the construction of the sharp, wedge-shaped,  modern district, La Matuna. The inner walled town, towards the west, is bigger than the outer one.  It consists of El Centro, in the south, where traditionally the upper classes lived, and San Diego, in the north, previously occupied by the middle classes.  The outer walled town, Getsemani, once inhabited by the lower end  of the social ladder, is smaller and  understandably poorer,  with  more  modest  architecture.  Outside the  walled town several monumental fortresses still stand. Stretching south of the old town is an unusual, L-shaped peninsula, occupied by three districts:     Bocagrande, Castillo Grande and El  Laguito. These are relatively new suburbs but are developing fast. The coastline of the peninsula has limited the city's spread, so growth  has turned vertical, and today the area boasts a collection of high-rise buildings.  Bocagrande and El Laguito  have developed into up-market holiday resorts, becoming the main destinations for affluent Colombians and international charter tours. These areas are now packed with top-class hotels, posh restaurants, boutiques and nightspots.

OLD TOWN    (map)
 
 

Obviously, the old city is the  principal attraction,   particularly the inner walled town. It is a real gem  of colonial architecture, packed with churches,  monasteries, plazas, palaces and noble mansions  with their overhanging balconies and shady patios.  Getsemani, the outer walled town, is not  so well    preserved and less impressive, but  has  some  charming places and is well worth exploring.  It is   less tourist oriented and more authentic.  However, visitors should take extra precautions    for this part of the city  is not that safe.

 
 

The old town is sorrounded by thick walls,  the Murallas, built to  protect  it  against enemies. Construction began towards the end of the 16th century after the attack by Francis Drake (until that time Cartagena was completely unprotected) but the project  was to take  two centuries  to complete due to repeated damage from  storms  and  pirate  attacks.  Only  in 1796 was it  finally finished,  25 years  before the  Spaniards were eventually expelled. The Murallas are an outstanding piece of military engineering and  they are well worth visiting. Only a handful of the walls of walled  cities in the world are preserved in such good condition as those of  Cartegena.  A part of the wall facing La Matuna was  unfortunately demolished several  decades   ago   by `progressive' authorities.

 

SPANISH FORTS
 

The old city is a fortress in itself, yet there are  more     fortifications built in strategic points outside the city.   Some of the more important ones are included below.   Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas.This is undoubtedly    the greatest and strongest  fortress ever  built  by the  Spaniards  in  their  colonies.  The  original   fort   was    constructed  between 1639 and 1657 on  top of the 40m  high San Lazaro hill, and  was quite small. In  1762 an   extensive   enlargement  was  undertaken   which    eventually  resulted   in  the entire  hill  being  covered    over  with   this  powerful  bastion.  It  was  truly   impregnable and was  never  taken  despite numerous   attempts to storm it.

 
 

The fortress is another outstanding  piece   of military engineering.   The batteries   were arranged so that they could  destroy   each  other  if  the  fort  fell  to the enemy.   A complex system of tunnels connects    strategic points of the fortress to distribute  provisions and  to facilitate evacuation.   The tunnels were constructed in such a   way  that sounds reverberate all the way  along them, making it  possible to hear the   slightest sound of the approaching enemy's  feet, and also making it easy for  internal   communication. Some  tunnels  are lit and  are open  to visitors - a walk not to be   missed.

 
 

RESTAURANTS
 

Cartagena has many classy restaurants. As might be expected, seafood is the main local food and most restaurants have a list of seafood delicacies on their menus, particularly the cazuela de mariscos. Restaurante La Tinaja in La Matuna is a pleasant open-air place specialising in grilled meats.  It also does seafood. The Nautilus Restaurant, facing India Catalina, is excellent for seafood. Restaurante La Quemada in El Centro is not bad for seafood either, and has a nicer atmosphere.  The attached bar usually stages live music on week-end evenings. El Bodegon de la Candelaria, in a marvellous colonial mansion, is well known for its good cuisine. Try the langosta caribeña, half lobster sauteed in coconut milk and flambed with cognac. Paco's, on the Plaza de Santo Domingo, has a rather short menu, with the food being very good but not cheap. However, the restaurant has a special charm and its own style. A short walk south will lead you to the Restaurante Classic de Andrei and La Escollera de la Marina, noted for their good style and food. Should you fancy some Chinese cuisine, the Kon Nam, in La Matuna, and El Drag6n de Oro, a few paces away, are the best for this fare. Bocagrande has yet more to offer and has more ethnic variety. La Pampa is unbeatable for juicy churrasco, as is La Capilla del Mar for its cazuela de mariscos.

AROUND CARTAGENA    (map)
 

La Boquilla This is a small, poor fishing village 7km north of Cartagena. It lies at the end of a narrow peninsula bordered by the sea on one side and  the  Cienaga de Tesca  on  the  other.  The  entire  population  is black and lives off fishing. You can see them at  the cienaga working with their famous atarrayas, a round fishing net that is very common in Colombia, particularly on the Caribbean coast. Palm-thatched shack restaurants on the beach attract people from Cartagena on weekends.  They are almost all closed at other times.  The  fish  is  fresh but not as cheap as you might expect here given the proximity of the ocean.  It is usually accompanied by arroz con coco,  rice prepared with coconut milk. You can arrange a boat trip along the narrow channels cutting through the mangrove woods to the north of the village.  Several locals offer canoe trips, taking around five people at a time.

Islas del Rosario   (map)
 

This  archipelago  of  small  coral  islands  is  about  35 km        south-west  of Cartagena.  There  are  about  25  islands        altogether,  including  some tiny islets  only big  enough for        a  single  house.  The archipelago is surrounded  by  coral        reefs, where  the colour of the sea ranges from turquoise        to  purple. The whole  area  has  been declared a national        park,  the Corales  del Rosario.

The  coral  reefs  around  the  Islas  del  Rosario are      the largest and  most  magnificent  on  the  Colombian      Caribbean coast, comparable to those in San Andres      and   Providencia.   Marine   life  is  abundant  in   the      surrounding  waters, making the area a paradise for      snorkelling and scuba  diving. The two largest islands      have inland lagoons.  An  aquarium  has been built on      the Isla de San Martin.The driest period in the region      is  from  December  to  March,  while  the wettest  is      from   September to October.

 

Volcan de Lodo el Totumo About  1/2 hour from Cartagena, on the bank of the  large  but  shallow Cienaga del Totumo, one can find an intriguing 15-metre-high mud mound, looking like  a  miniature volcano.  It's indeed a volcano but instead of lava and ashes, it eructs mud. You  can climb on the top of the volcano, and have a refreshing mud bath. It's for  sure  a  unique esperience.  Once  you   have  finished your session, go down and wash the mud off in the nearby  lagoon.

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