The History of Cartagena (in a Nutshell)

Cartagena was founded in1533 in the area where the native Calamari tribe lived. Named after Cartagena, Spain, the city held great importance as a treasure city for the Spanish Crown. Precious stones and minerals from the New World were shipped to Spain from Cartagena. Because of its growing wealth and location on the Caribbean as a commercial and slave trade port, the city was attacked many times by pirates and Spanish rivals.

To protect Cartagena from invasion, Spain financed the fortification of the city. But in 1586, Sir Francis Drake managed to take the city and hold it for ransom. Spain then poured more money into Cartagena’s protection and began to build walls and fortresses around it. In 1697, Cartagena was raided and plundered by the French and left in ruins. The reconstruction afterward was initially slow, but over time the walls and forts were rebuilt, making the city virtually impenetrable. In 1741 Cartagena withstood a large-scale British siege, thus prolonging Spain’s control of the Caribbean.

In 1811, Cartagena declared independence from Spain while the latter was busy with the Peninsular War. When that war ended, the Spanish Crown sent a military expedition to re-conquer the rebel provinces in the Americas. It took until 1821 for Cartagena to gain its independence.

Loss of lives from the fight with Spain, as well as the cholera epidemic that struck Cartagena in 1849 reduced the city’s population considerably and it went into a decline for almost a century. Over the past several decades, however, Cartagena has regained its prominence as a major city for both commerce and tourism.

View of Cartagena from the roof of our apartment building (the red arrow points to the historic part of the city, which is magnified in the picture below)

Cartagena's old walled city, as seen from our roof