Cartagena (Capital of the Bolivar Department, Colombia) was settled by the Spanish explorer Madrileno Don Pedro de Heredia in 1533 and Spain ruled over the area for more than 250 years until Cartagena declared its independence in 1811.
After the Spanish established Cartagena as a major port on the north coast of Colombia, the area grew quickly and played a key role in administration and expansion of the Spanish empire in South America. At first, the rapid growth was attributed to the gold that was looted from the tombs of the Sinu Culture; however, after the gold was depleted, the settlers turned to farming and other occupations that produced exports for Spain.
During the period of rapid growth many royalty and wealthy viceroys relocated to Cartagena because of the economic and political opportunities, which was not unnoticed by the English and French.
Since there was very little Spanish protection in the area, Cartagena became a favorite stopping place for pirates and corsairs (French and English privateers).
In 1568 my great...great-grandfather sailed into Cartagena and besieged the City, but failed to level it. This really irritated the Spanish, so they decided to build a wall around the City and a fort for additional protection. However, before the city wall and fort could be completed, Cartagena was looted and burned numerous times.
Finally, in 1657 the Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas (fort) was completed; but it turned out to be too small, so it was significantly expanded in 1762. After the expansion, the fort was never penetrated and Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas became the largest Spanish fort ever built in the New World.
Touring the fort and all of its tunnels and secret passageways was an amazing experience and I was glad that one of my great...great-grandfathers did not attempt to penetrate the fort because if he had tried and failed, I might not be here today!
After touring the Fort, we visited Las Bovedas (old dungeons that are now tourist boutique shops) and walked along the top of the Las Murallas Wall that enclosed the Old City. (Las Murallas is considered by many to be the most impressive city walls in the world!)
As we were walking on top of the wall, the guide's conversation eventually turned to early pirates that raided and plundered the city before the wall and fort were built. After the guide made several negative comments about my great...great-grandfather, I pointed out that he was not a "pirate," he was a "privateer." He was also knighted by Queen Elizabeth I for his service to England! The guide's only response was, "He may be a "privateer" to the English and French, but to Spain he was a "Pirate!" (I always remember when we were young, my grandfather used to tell the grandchildren that great...great-grandfather may have been considered a "pirate," but he was a "good pirate!" In 1571, he became a member of the British Parliament and one of his young officers, Sir Francis Drake (his mentee and cousin), continued the raids on Cartagena and became known as "The Dragon." Great...Great-Grandfather later became treasurer and comptroller of the navy and then went back to sea in 1588 to defeat the Spanish Armada. In 1595 he and his cousin France Drake went on an expedition to the West Indies, but Great...Great-Grandfather died along the way and was buried at sea off the coast of Puerto Rico.)
The tour bus was too large to negotiate the winding, narrow cobblestone streets in the Old City, so we debarked and hiked to various historic sites. Along the way the Spanish Colonial buildings with their wood-beamed balconies were colorfully painted and many of the balconies were covered with flowers. (Both the Old City and the Castillo de San Feliipe de Barajas are now UNESCO World Heritage Sites.)
At Bolivar's Plaza (aka Eponymous Park, Simon Bolivar Square) we were treated to street dancers and then visited the Naval Museum to be entertained by professional Colombian Folk Dancers. While in the area we also toured the Historical Museum of Cartagena, which was unbelievably hot and crowed. (Cartagena is situated close to the equator, so it is always hot and very humid in the Old City!)
The plaza in front of the San Pedro Claver Church contains a number of metal art sculptures that depict people involved in a variety of everyday activities.
The inside of the church is also very beautiful and contains a highly decorated dome. Back to the ship before the Captain departs!
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