The Beautiful Cartagena de Indias

Described in the guide books as South America's most beautiful city, Cartagena didn't disappoint, and was further advantaged by being my first footfall on dry land in more than five days. Built on a series of islands it has everything from historical fortifications, to white sandy beaches and 21st century skyscrapers.

The city was established in 1533 and quickly became a major trading port for the export of South American wealth back to Spain. This also made it a target for pirates, and the English and French attacked the city on a number of occasions over the next two centuries. The Spanish response was to progressively build a set of walls around the inner city, then the adjoining poorer island and a series of forts on hill tops adjacent to the water route to the city.

Sir Francis Drake successfully sacked the city in 1586 despite the fortifications in place at that time, but the hardest fought battle for the city came in 1741 when an English fleet of close to 200 ships and more than 140,000 men attempted to take Cartagena by progressively destroying each fortification to permit the ships to enter the bay, and then disembarking and marching (as it turns out through swamps) to disable the other fortifications. Yellow fever and malaria did as much damage to the progress of the English invaders as did the defenders of the city, but they were eventually defeated.


I spent a couple of days wandering the town with Dara (my Canadian sailing buddy from the Panama crossing).


We did a museum tour of the Palacio de la Inquisicion, a very lovely building with a notorious past which shows some rather nasty looking torture instruments used during the Spanish Inquisition to extract confessions from heretics. A translator wasn't necessary as most of the exhibits were pretty self explanatory.



A few photos taken just wandering around the streets of the old city.





This is the Castello de San Philippe de Barajas, built on a hill just outside the walled city. It is walking distance from town, however Dara and I went up there as part of a tacky bus tour of the city and surrounds. (Dara and tacky bus also shown below.)




The Convento La Popa is a convent built on top of a 150m high hill about 20 minutes bus ride from the city. The view back over Cartagena was lovely, and the Convent itself (restored in the 1960s) was worth the visit too. I think it got a little lost in translation, but our guide told us they threw a goat off there to signify the overthrow of the idol worshipers. Or something like that.



Today, Cartagena is still a major port and industrial centre as well as a significant tourist destination. Well and truly worth a longer stay than the three days I was in town for.