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Cartagena History |
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Brief Synopsis
Archaeologists have traced the earliest settlers of the Cartagena area back to 7000 BC. Among the Amerinds that settled here were the Puerto Hormiga people, the Monsu and the Sinu. This last group, noted for their gold and ceramic objects, were present when the Spanish Conquistadors arrived in the early 16th century.
Cartagena des Indias was founded in 1533 by Pedro de Heredia, the town being named after the home port of many of his fellow sailors. Gold was found in abundance in the nearby regions, and the city quickly grew in importance. The gold attracted pirates, and the city was attacked frequently in the 16th century.
At the start of the 17th century, the Spanish overlords began the construction of a series of fortifications that would protect the city and its people. The city was a slave port, with the human cargos imported to work in the mines of Colombia, Venezuela and the West Indies.
In the 18th century, the city continued to grow, and became one of the wealthiest cities in the New World. In the early 19th century, the Spanish rulers were overthrown by Simon Bolivar and his fellow revolutionaries. For the next hundred years, Cartagena was suspended in time as the devolution of political authority in the region continued, creating the independent states of Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador.
The 20th century witnessed the creation of an independent state of Panama, the discovery of oil, continuous and violent strife between the country's political parties, the rise of drug cartels, Marxist guerilla groups and paramilitary organizations and the election of Alvaro Uribe, who has successfully curbed much of the power and influence of these subversive groups.
Cartagena's port, fortifications and monuments were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984, and much of the historic Old Town section of Cartagena has been restored. During the last twenty years, tourism to Cartagena has boomed; in the last five years, cruise ships have returned to Cartagena in earnest. |
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Archaeological evidence dates the the earliest inhabitants in the Cartagena area to circa 7000 BC, when the Puerto Hormiga amerinds inhabited the Sinu River delta. Ceramic objects dating to 4000 BC have been found in the area that provide clues to their culture as a hunter-gatherer society. By circa 3000 BC, however, the Puerto Hormiga went into decline.
A much more developed culture, the Monsu Amerinds, began their ascendancy at this time. The Monsu developed a mixed economy of agriculture and basic manufacturing, inheriting the creation and use of pottery from their forebears.
By 50 BC, the Sinu (aka "Zenu") amerinds proliferated in Colombia's Caribbean plains. They built an extensive system of waterways which was used for more than thirteen centuries to drain off floodwater. Farmers, fishermen, traders, goldsmiths and weavers were organized in towns that were governed by local lords who paid tribute to regional chieftains like Finzenu, who ruled over the River Sinu. Agriculture, fishing, hunting and the bartering of raw materials and manufactured products (such as ceramics, gold objects and woven baskets) formed the basis of the economy.
In the 16th century, salt and shells came from villages on the coast, reeds and food products were harvested in the San Jorge valley, while gold came from the headwaters of the Sinu and San Jorge rivers and from the lower Cauca region. The Finzenu region, on the River Sinu, was noted for its metallurgy production, the weaving of blankets and hammocks, and the manufacture of basketwork objects.
[If you're interested in seeing some of the gold and ceramic objects created by craftsmen of the Sinu culture, make sure to visit the Gold Museum in Cartagena's Old Town.] |
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While Spanish explorers did establish settlements in what is today's city of Darien (in 1506) and in San Sebastian de Uraba (in 1517), these colonial outposts were considered to be unsuccessful. Spanish Conquistador Rodrigo de Bastidas discovered Cartagena Bay in 1527, but continued southward to further explore the coast. Shortly thereafter, he was murdered by mutineers who wanted a share of the gold he had acquired from the local amerinds.
In 1533, Spanish Governor Pedro de Heredia arrived in Cartagena Bay along with 150 men under his command. They battled with the Kalimari tribe that inhabited what is now the Old Town section of Cartagena, and succeeded in decimating their foes. On June 1 the city of Cartagena des Indias was founded; it was named after Cartagena, Spain, from which most of his sailors hailed.
Governor Pedro de Heredia headed an expedition up the River Sinu in search of the gold of the "Mogote graves." The plundering of the graves of other Sinu people along the Sinu River and in the San Jorge and Cauca valleys was so successful, and the region was so rich in indigenous labor and cultivated products, that these were used to finance local government in Cartagena for many years.
By the mid-16th century, Cartagena des Indias was a city of 2,000 residents, and the city had constructed a church.
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Pedro de Heredia |
Politically, Cartagena was part of the dominion of the New Kingdom of Granada, which was the name given to a group of 16th century Spanish colonial provinces in northern South America governed by the Audiencia of Bogota--an area corresponding mainly to modern-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama.
The early economy was fueled by the search for gold, which was found in abundance. The treasure found in the area was shipped back to Spain from Cartagena. As the wealth and fame of Cartagena grew, the city became an attractive plunder site for pirates and corsairs (French privateers, licensed by their king).
In 1551, French pirate Jean-Francois Roberval attacked the city, forcing Governor Pedro de Heredia to flee. The pirates demanded an unspecified ransom of gold and silver and left upon being paid.
In 1559, Martin Cote arrived in Cartagena demanding a ransom to prevent a total destruction of the city. While the Spanish put up a stiff resistance, the plunder taken by Cote was enormous.
In 1568, the English pirate John Hawkins laid siege to the city for seven days, but left empty handed.
In 1572, Francis Drake attacked the city and quickly overpowered the Spaniards, many of whom fled to the neighboring town of Turbaco. Drake burned much of the city, as well as a nave of the recently-completed church. He extracted a ransom of 107,000 Spanish gold ducats, an unknown amount of gems and jewels, 80 artillery pieces and other assorted goods--a haul that today would be worth over $2.5 billion.
Drake's plunder of the city provoked Spain into constructing fortifications that would repel most attacks on the city. Beginning in the early 17th century, Spain spent millions of reales annually building these fortifications, hiring European military engineers to accomplish this job. Construction of these fortifications continued until 1818.
Cartagena was one of the most important trading ports in the New World. Gold and silver from New Granada and Peru were loaded in Cartagena on galleons bound for Spain via Havana. Cartagena was also a slave port; Cartagena and Veracruz (in New Spain) were the only cities authorized to trade with black people. The first slaves arrived with Pedro de Heredia; they worked as cane cutters to open roads, to desecrate tombs of the Sinu people, and to construct buildings and fortifications. Later, agents of the Portuguese company Cacheu distributed their human cargos from Cartagena to work in the mines of Venezuela, the West Indies, the New Kingdom of Granada and the Viceroyalty of Peru. Slavery continued to be practiced until its abolition in 1819.
On February 5, 1610, King Philip II established the Inquisition Holy Office Court in Cartagena. The purpose of inquisitorial penalties was "... for the public good in order that others may become terrified and weaned away from the evils they would [otherwise] commit." While the hated inquisitors finally departed in 1821, the Inquisition Palace, finished in 1770, remains.
In 1697, French privateer Bernard Desjean, Baron of Pointis, attacked the city with an army comprised of 1,200 soldiers and 650 buccaneer. Pointis conquered both of Cartagena's fortresses relatively easily, losing only 60 men. Between May 6 and May 24 the French plundered the city, accumulating loot valued at 10 to 20 million livres (approximately $15 million). Pointis returned to France, cheating his buccaneer allies of their promised share of the loot. Outraged, the buccaneers, who had garrisoned at the Castillo de San Luis at Boca Chica, returned and plundered the city once more, in a three-day orgy of rape, extortion and murder.
In 1717, Cartagena became part of the Spanish colonial Viceroyalty of New Granada.
In March 1741, British and American colonial troops led by Admiral Edward Vernon arrived at Cartagena with a fleet of 186 ships and 23,600 men facing six Spanish ships and 3,600 men, in an action known as the Battle of Cartagena de Indias. After weeks of intense fighting, as well as the spread of diseases (such as yellow fever) among the invaders, the siege was repelled by the Spanish and native forces led by commander General Blas de Lezo. This victory prolonged Spain's control of the Caribbean, helping to secure its New World empire until the early nineteenth century.
From 1750 to 1808, Cartagena entered what is today referred to as the "Silver Age" of the city. During this period, the city saw a building boom, massive immigration from other cities of the Viceroyalty and an increase in the economic and political power of the city. Cartagenans were the richest in the colony, libraries were established, and the city's first cafe opened. But the Silver Age came to an abrupt end with the crisis of the Spanish Empire, as embodied in the Mutiny of Aranjuez, when a popular uprising against King Charles IV managed to overthrow him and placed his son, Ferdinand VII, on the throne. |
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 Spanish Real
 Sir Francis Drake
 King Phillip II |
On November 11, 1811, Cartagena declared its independence from Spain. But such independence was short lived; in mid-1815, a large Spanish expeditionary force arrived in New Granada. Cartagena fell in December of that year, and by May 1816, the royalists had control of all of New Granada.
But the resistance continued; the independence struggle was led mainly by Simon Bolivar and Francisco de Paula Santander in neighboring Venezuela. Bolivar returned to New Granada in 1819 after establishing himself as leader of the pro-independence forces in the Venezuelan interior. From there, he led an army over the Andes and captured New Granada after a quick campaign that ended at the Battle of Boyaca, on August 7, 1819. The territory of the Viceroyalty of New Granada became the Republic of Greater Colombia, organized as a confederation along with Ecuador and Venezuela. Bolivar and Santander became the first two presidents of Colombia.
The Spanish controlled Cartagena from 1815 to 1821, when patriot forces recaptured the city. During this period, Cartagena lost one third of its population and the best of its elite emigrants. Shortly thereafter, Cartagena lost its monopoly status as Colombia's primary port in the Caribbean, and the city was left suspended in time.
A plague hit Cartagena hard in 1851; it was this plague that inspired Gabriel Garcia Marquez to write his novel Love in the Time of Cholera. By 1870, Cartagena had only half of the population it boasted in 1810.
In 1830, internal divisions led to the breakup of the Republic of Greater Colombia, with Venezuela and Ecuador establishing independent republics. Today's Colombia was known as "Nuevo Granada" from 1830 to 1856, after which it became known as the Grenadine Confederation. In 1863, following a two-year civil war, the United States of Colombia was created. In 1886, the country became known as the Republic of Colombia.
Two political parties--the Liberals and Conservatives--have had long-standing roots in the country. The Conservative party was formed by Bolivar's supporters; they sought a strong centralized government, an alliance with the Roman Catholic Church and a limited franchise. Santander's followers, forerunners of the Liberals, wanted a decentralized government, state rather than church control over education and other civil matters and a broadened suffrage.
The Thousand Day War, an armed civil conflict between the Liberal and Conservative parties, took place between 1899 and 1902. An estimated 100,000 people died as a result of this conflict.
U.S. intentions to build the Panama Canal led to the separation of Panama in 1903, and its establishment as an independent nation. |
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 Simon Bolivar |
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Cartagena in the Modern Era |
It wasn't until the late 19th century that Cartagena once again regained its prominence. The Calamar Railway, built by the British, had its terminus in the Matuna neighborhood. Neighborhoods were established outside the confines of the old Walled City as the city grew geographically. A new marketplace was built on what was once the Barahona Bulwark, and which today is the location of the Convention Center. Centennial Park was built in 1911, as was the Heredia Theater, built to commemorate the centenary of the independence of Cartagena. But it was the Panama Canal, which opened in 1914, that really gave a boost to Cartagena's fortunes.
In 1917, the U.S.-based Tropical Oil Company purchased a large oil concession (known as "the Mares Concession") in the Magdalena River valley and began exploratory drilling. The company's initial wells proved to be of commercial quantity, and in 1920 the International Petroleum Corporation (IPC), a subsidiary of Standard Oil Company of New Jersey (Esso), acquired Tropical and its concession.
The Colombian government, still smarting from the actions of the U.S. regarding Panama, put pressure on all U.S. firms operating in the country to increase their investments in Colombia. IPC completed the Barrancabermeja to Bahia de Cartagena pipeline in 1926, and built an oil refinery in Cartagena.
With the development of its fields and the opening of the new pipeline, Tropical's operations made Colombia in 1927 the third largest oil producing nation in Latin America, after Mexico and Venezuela.
During the 1930s, Cartagena fell into marked decline, coinciding with the worldwide Great Depression. But oil wealth had its impact, as a deep sea terminal was built in 1931 on the island of Manga, home to today's port facilities and the Cruise Ship Terminal. It was also during this time that the Bocagrande Peninsula was developed as housing for foreign oil workers. In 1946, the groundbreaking Hotel Carib, located in Bocagrande, was inaugurated; it was built on the site of a Colonial-era fort.
Colombia nationalized the foreign oil companies in 1951, yet maintained cordial relations with the former owners.
Tensions between the two leading political parties led to the assassination of the Liberal presidential candidate on April 9, 1948. Thus began a period known as La Violencia ("The Violence"), causing violence that spread throughout the country and claimed the lives of at least 180,000 Colombians. From 1953 to 1964 the violence between the two political parties decreased, first when Gustavo Rojas deposed the president in a coup d'etat and negotiated with the guerrillas, and then under the military junta of General Gabriel Paris Gordillo.
The establishment of a coalition government known as the National Front (in which the presidency would alternate between parties every four years) ended La Violencia and sought to institute social and economic reforms. But social and political injustices continued, and Marxist-oriented guerrilla movements--including the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the National Liberation Army (ELN) and M-19 appeared.
Powerful and violent drug cartels developed during the 1980s and 1990s. The Medellin Cartel under Pablo Escobar and the Cali Cartel, in particular, exerted political, economic and social influence in Colombia during this period.
Cartagena's port, fortresses and group of monuments were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.
A new constitution was ratified in 1991, and reforms have been gradually implemented. However, violence caused by the guerilla groups, the drug cartels and right-wing paramilitary groups became a part of daily life in Colombia. The election of Alvaro Uribe as president in 2002 has led to a steady improvement in the lives of most Colombians. During his term of office, the economy has grown steadily, the FARC has suffered a series of military defeats, the main paramilitary groups have gone through a demobilization process, the security situation has greatly improved and Free Trade Agreements have been signed with a number of countries.
Restoration of the buildings in Cartagena's Old Town section began in earnest in the late 1980s. Throughout the Old Town one can find inns and boutique hotels that were built in the 18th century and which were once the homes of noble Cartagenans.
Cruise ships have long made Cartagena a port of call; however, they began returning to Cartagena in greater numbers beginning in 2005. |
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 Pablo Escobar
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