Plaza de los Coches

The yellow arcade of the Plaza de los Coches defines the entrance to Cartagena’s walled city. During the seventeenth century, this space served as the primary slave market for the Americas. Captives arrived at the nearby harbor and were sold under these arches to the highest bidder. Local merchant Pedro de Heredia oversaw these brutal transactions as part of the city’s colonial trade hub. Today, the plaza houses sweet vendors selling traditional coconut treats, marking a stark shift from its origins as a site of enslavement.