WELCOME TO CARTAGENA, COLOMBIA

Day 4/Cartagena, Colombia        Tuesday, January 8, 2013/ Mostly Sunny 90* F/32* C

Dress Code: Smart Casual

Founded in 1533, Cartagena de Indias gained fame after the mid-16th century when great fleets stopped annually to take on gold and other products of northern South America for convoy to Spain.  The city became a center for the Inquisition and a major slave market.  In 1811, the province declared its independence from Spain and years of fighting followed.  After falling into Spanish hands from 1815 to 1821, the city was recaptured by patriot forces.  In the early national period, Cartagena continued as Colombia’s leading port, but it was handicapped by inadequate connections with the interior.  By the 1840’s it had declined in population and commerce.  In the 20th century it experienced renewed growth and is now Colombia’s fifth largest city.  Probably the most significant factor in Cartagena’s revitalization was the opening of petroleum fields in the Rio Magdalena Valley after 1917.  Today Cartagena is a sprawling city of 850,000 inhabitants, a bustling maritime and industrial center.  Yet visitors find themselves transported back in history as they wander along the twisting streets of the old city with its imposing architecture.  Just outside the city walls lies the fortress of Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas, rising 135 feet above sea level.