Pirates and Legends of Cartagena

The Baluarte de Santo Domingo sits at the western edge of Cartagena’s walled city, distinguished by the massive stone ramparts that jut out toward the Caribbean Sea. Construction finished in sixteen seventeen to guard the entrance to the…

The Palace of the Inquisition features a limestone facade with a prominent, intricately carved baroque doorway and a long, wooden balcony that stretches across the second floor. Built during the eighteenth century, this building served as…

The house with the heavy wooden balcony and stone doorway on the corner of Calle de la Factoría bears a plaque dedicated to Sir Francis Drake. In fifteen eighty-six, the English privateer anchored his fleet off Cartagena, stormed the city,…

The Catedral de Santa Catalina de Alejandría features a heavy, ocher-colored tower that dominates the skyline of the Walled City. Construction began in fifteen seventy-five, but the structure faced immediate peril when Sir Francis Drake…

The Torre del Reloj features a bright yellow facade with an arched gateway that connects the old walled city of Cartagena to the neighborhood of Getsemaní. Originally built in the seventeenth century as the main entrance to the fortified…

The Baluarte de San Ignacio rises as a thick, angular stone wedge jutting into the harbor waters of Cartagena. It served as a vital anchor for the city's western defensive walls, specifically built to prevent enemy ships from landing near…

El Baluarte San Francisco Javier is the jagged, coral-stone bastion that juts out from the city wall, pointing directly toward the Caribbean Sea. It was completed in sixteen thirty to protect the harbor from invaders like the English…