Cartagena

From Medellin, our travels took us to Cartagena, in the north of Colombia on the Caribbean coast.

Tom on the city walls

There are different aspects to Cartagena.  You can see the area where the local people live; uneven road surfaces, market stalls and rundown buildings packed close together.  As you drive along towards the beach, you pass by the old town.  Within the walls of the old town are beautiful plazas where you can sit under the shade of the trees, jewellery shops selling the yellow gold which has been mined there for thousands of years, and old yet beautifully kept buildings and streets.  Upon reaching the beach, you find yourself in Bocagrande ('big mouth'), the commercial area where wealthy, sun-worshippers like to visit.  It has been very commercialised by people from the United States, and whilst it is a smart area, has lost a lot of the charm which is present in the old town.  There are many local people pestering tourists, selling tat and offering massages.  It doesn't make for a relaxing stay on the beach.

The old town is the real gem of Cartagena.  We walked along the walls, which were built by the Spanish to keep out pirates.  From there, you can see the whole city, a vast, clear view underneath the brilliant blue sky and blazing sunshine.  Inside the city walls, we visited El Palacio de la Inquisicion (The Palace of the Inquisition).  The museum details the role of Cartagena in the Spanish Inquisition and how witches and warlocks were interrogated, including instruments of torture.  We meandered along the walls and viewpoints and through the tunnels at the Castle of San Felipe, an impressive piece of architecture.  We also browsed inside El Museo de Arte Moderno, The Modern Art Museum.

Pot of gold at Museo del Oro

The most interesting visit we made was to El Museo del Oro - The Gold Museum.  There, we learnt about Zenu culture, the Zenu people being those indigenous to Cartagena, before the days of the Spanish invasion.  Gold has been mined in the area for thousands of years and the people traded with it as currency.  It also played a pivotal part in religious ceremonies.  Women were very important within the culture and would often hold the chief positon, rather than a man.  This was because women were viewed like baskets, vessels of life and fertility.  Gold figurines of female gods would often be worshipped, for both life and fruitful crops.

The old town of Cartagena is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and interesting places we have visited, but the city is let down by its commercial beach area.  Depending what you look for during your travels, you will either love Cartagena or hate it.