Cartagena--a trip back in time

University of Fine Arts and Sciences, Cartegena

House in historic Cartegena

This morning we walked throughout the historic center of Cartegena, a World Heritage Site.  The Spanish founded the city in 1533 and it rapidly became the center for shipping tons of gold and emeralds from the interior of what is now Colombia to Spain.  Later it was a major slave trading center.  Its history is built on the misery of countless thousands of indigenous people and Africans whose complete exploitation filled the coffers of Conquistador greed.  Today's population is a mix of all those who came before, from Indian to African to Spanish.

Cartegena is a lovely city, built originally on a tranquil bay protected by coral reefs and a narrow entrance that the Spanish fortified to protect it from pirates.  Nonetheless, it was sacked 11 times by pirates lured here by the rich stores of gold, silver and gems awaiting the Spanish galleons that arrived on the trade winds 4 times a year.  Today, the old houses and convents (closed by fleeing Spanish nuns and priests when Colombia gained its independence in 1811) are schools, universities and hotels, often painted in rich colors (and repainted every December to fend off the ravages of the blowing salt air).  Many buildings still await renovation, but are very expensive to buy and restore.  Huge trees grow in their old gardens with the roots gradually stripping the colorful plaster off the walls.  Rosebushes pop out of windows, adding their flowers to the mix of color.  And large vines, covered with purple flowers, often extend for a whole block and cool the faces of the buildings.

When the Spanish arrived in the bay, they rode their horses ashore, leading the local tribes to believe they were gods.  In proper form, then, the chiefs brought gold and emeralds to the new gods, who carted them off to their ships and came back, century after century, for more.  Meanwhile, local tribes, unable to fend off the fearsome European diseases, mostly died out, requiring the Spanish overlords to look to African slaves to do their work of mining, processing, hauling and much more.

Lost in the process was the exquisite gold work of the native tribes.  More photos of this work is on the photo page blog coming up.