Cartagena de las Indias is a large city on the Caribbean Coast of Colombia. It has a population of a little over 950,000 people. Pedro de Heredia founded the Spanish Colonial city in 1533, naming it after Cartagena, Spain. It became a holding place for gold and treasures from the Americas until ships came to [...]
Published on November 18, 2011
Street performers dancing in a plaza.
Cartagena de las Indias is a large city on the Caribbean Coast of Colombia. It has a population of a little over 950,000 people. Pedro de Heredia founded the Spanish Colonial city in 1533, naming it after Cartagena, Spain. It became a holding place for gold and treasures from the Americas until ships came to bring them back to Spain. As a result, many pirates and privateers tried to attack the city. The Spanish had to keep increasing the city’s defenses, including building the old wall.
Cartagena really feels like three seperate cities in one: the downtown or old city, the modern suburb of Bocagrande on the beach, and the working class neighborhoods around the two. In 1984 the colonial old city was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
| More Colombia Photos: Bogota | Cartagena | Guane | Juan Curi Waterfalls | Mongui | Palomino | San Gil | Villa de Leyva |
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- A thick corn arepa stuffed with egg
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- Tourists swim in the Caribbean Sea
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- The Bocagrande Skyline as seen from the Old City
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- Calle Media Luna in the Getsamani neighborhood
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- Man sits on a stool at his street stand selling phone calls on his cell phone.
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- Church steeple at night
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- The fare collector hangs out the door of a city bus in Cartagena
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- A Colombian Fisherman on the beach
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- An old colonial theater in Cartagena
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- A dancer in Cartagena
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- Street performers dancing in a plaza.
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- Black and white graffiti of a man’s head in Colombia
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- Colorful graffiti of people
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- Graffiti of a heart in Cartagena
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- Casa Relax Hotel in Cartagena, Colombia
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- Skyscraper hotels and condos in Bocagrande
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- Boyfriend and girlfriend sit on the old wall and cuddle
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- Colonial buildings in the Plaza de los Coches
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- View of the Old Town from the wall at sunset
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- An old orange house and balcony in the old part of Cartagena.
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- A palm tree blows in the wind
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- Rocks on the beach of Cartagena
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- Sailboats anchored off of Cartagena
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- A local finds a seat on the Old Wall to watch the sunset
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- Chaya and Petra out for a walk
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- Petra smiling on a walk through the city.
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- Vegetables for sale on the street
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- A lookout on the Old Wall
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- The old wall around the old part of Cartagena
Filed under:
Colombia
About the Author: Chaya Shepard
After traveling on her own for three or four years, Chaya met up with Wade Shepard, the editor of VagabondJourney.com. They were married in 2009, and continue to travel the world together with their young daughter. From time to time Chaya blogs about family travel and life on the road. Chaya Shepard has written 102 posts on Vagabond Journey. Contact the author.
Chaya Shepard is currently in: Xiamen, China
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