About Cartagena
A fairy-tale city of romance, legends and sheer beauty, Cartagena de Indias is an addictive place that can be hard to escape. This is the place to drop all sightseeing routines. Instead, just stroll through Cartagena's maze of cobbled alleys, where enormous balconies are shrouded in bougainvilla and massive churches cast their shadows across leafy plazas. Take time out to relax at one of Cartagena's many open-air cafes, prime viewing spots to watch the parade of horse-drawn carriages, fashionable locals and mystified tourists. When the bustling city gets too much, you can always escape to the nearby Islas de Rosario.
History
Cartagena was founded in 1533 by Pedro de Heredia on the site of the Carib Indian settlement of Calamari. It quickly grew into a rich town, but in 1552 an extensive 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 into the main Spanish port on the Caribbean coast and the major northern gateway to South America. It came to be the storehouse for the treasures plundered from the Indians until the galleons could ship it back to Spain. As such, it became a tempting target for all sorts of buccaneers operating on the Caribbean Sea. In the 16th century alone, Cartagena suffered five dreadful sieges by pirates, the most famous (or infamous) of which was that led by Sir Francis Drake. He sacked the port in 1586 and mercifully agreed not to level the town 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 built up a series of forts around town, saving it from subsequent sieges, particularly from the biggest attack of all, led by Edward Vernon in 1741. The successful defense was commanded by Blas de Lezo, a Spanish officer who had already lost an arm, a leg and an eye in previous battles. With only 2'500 poorly trained and ill equipped men. Don Blas managed to fend off 25'000 English soldiers and their fleet of 186 ships. The Spaniard lost his other leg in the fighting and died soon after, but is now regarded as the saviour of Cartagena - you can see his statue outside the San Felipe Fortress.
Cartagena was one of the first towns to proclaim independence from Spain, early in 1810, which prompted Bogotá and other cities to do the same. The declaration was signed on November 11th 1811, but the city paid dearly for it. Spanish forces under Pablo Morillo were sent in 1815 to reconquer and pacify the town. After a four-month siege more than 6'000 inhabitants died of starvation and disease. In August 1819, Simon Bolivar's troops defeated the Spaniards in Boyaca, bringing freedom to Bogotá. However, Cartagena had to wait for its liberation until October 1821, when the patriot forces eventually took the city by sea. It was Bolivar who gave Cartagena its well-deserved name of La Heroica, the Heroic-City.
The city began to recover and was shortly once again an important trading and shipping center. The city's prosperity attracted foreign immigrants, and many Jews, Italians, French, Turks, Lebanese and Syrians settled here. Today their descendants own many businesses, including hotels and restaurants.
Over the past decades, Cartagena has expanded dramatically and is now surrounded by vast suburbs. It now is Colombia's largest port and important industrial center specializing in petrochemicals, but the old walled town has changed little.
Climate
Cartagena's climate is typically Caribbean; it's average annual temperature of 28°C changes very little. Although the days are hot, a fresh breeze blows in the evening, making this a pleasant time to stroll around the city. Theoretically, the driest period is from December to April, while October and November are the wettest months.
Reproduced with permission from Lonely Planet Colombia, 4th Edition © 2006 Lonely Planet Publications
Cartagena in the News
NZZ: Weltkulturerbe am Karibischen Meer
LA Times: The magic of Cartagena, Colombia
NY Times: Colombian Gold in Cartagena
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