The Old Town of Cartagena-A History Full of Blood and Tears │ Notes on Global Science (37)

On June 14, I left Jamaica at night, headed south, crossed the Sargasso-covered algae sea, and stopped at Cartagena, northern Colombia at about 6:40 a.m. on June/0/7. I will leave at 5 pm that day, and the stop time is only ten hours.

Cartagena is a seaport city, located on the Caribbean coast in the northwest of Colombia. Wikipedia (a multilingual encyclopedia collaboration project based on wiki technology is also an online encyclopedia written in different languages, whose goal and purpose are to provide freedom for all mankind) is an open encyclopedia.

The stay is short, and the sightseeing time is of course short. Mir arranged two trips to China, one was sightseeing in the old city, and the other was sightseeing in the old city and enjoying folk dances, which lasted for six hours. We choose the former. It takes less than an hour to walk from the pier to the old city and about ten minutes by taxi, so many people choose to travel independently.

After 9 o'clock, a large tour bus has stopped at the dock. The tour guide is a local old gentleman. Judging from his skin color and hair quality, he is obviously a hybrid, that is, a hybrid of Spanish (or Portuguese), Indian and African-American. In some countries in Central and South America, such as Colombia, the mixed-race population is the majority.

The Spanish discovered (came to) Colombia in 150 1 year, and immediately became a Spanish colony until Colombia became independent (18 19). Cartagena was founded in 1533 and was once the third largest city in Latin America. The existing population is about/kloc-0.00 million, which is divided into two parts: the old city and the new city. The old city was built during the Spanish colonial period, and 1984 was listed as a world cultural heritage.

Since it is listed as a world cultural heritage, it must have its historical and cultural significance. Our first attraction is san felipe Castle. The fortification was built in 1536, and it was grayish black. It is built on a hill by the sea, just like a part of the hill. 174 1 year, British navy general edward vernon led an attack and was repelled by Spanish general Blas de Lezo. This was called the Battle of Cartagena in West India, so Britain failed to get its hands on South America.

Fort san felipe, built at 1533. Author photo

There stands a bronze lasso statue in front of the castle, with a round bronze medal embedded in the base, shaping two people, one on the left standing with a sword; The man on the right kneels on the ground and gives the sword to the man standing. This is a shield specially cast by the British army to boost morale when trying to capture the castle. Standing is the British general Vernon, kneeling is the Spanish garrison general Leso. I asked if the shield on the base of the tour guide was original or duplicate, and the answer was original, but I was a little skeptical.

We only stayed in san felipe Castle for twenty minutes, so it is impossible to visit the castle. We can only see its appearance from a distance. There are many small shops selling souvenirs on the street opposite the castle. I don't buy anything, but I'm a little unwilling to look at the castle. A short walk to the left is the wall near the sea, which is an extension of the castle. There are many brown pelicans flying in the sky at this time. This is the first time I have seen this kind of bird.

Brown pelicans are distributed in North America and northern South America, and are common on the coast of Cartagena. Photo by Li Zhifu

San felipe Castle in Cartagena, as well as the gates and walls of the old city, were built by 300,000 slaves! Walking on the wall, there is a gloomy feeling. The gold, jadeite and other treasures plundered by the colonists from Central and South America were first transported to Cartagena and then shipped back to Spain across the Atlantic. Some places in Cartagena are full of blood and tears, making it impossible to look back at history.

Spain and Portugal are the oldest colonists. They destroyed the Indian civilization in Central and South America, and the diseases they brought caused the Indians in Central and South America to die 90% in a short time! Due to the shortage of labor, slaves were imported from Africa. Spain and Portugal were the initiators of the slave trade.

Then go to the shopping area of the old city and stay for fifty minutes. The shop is embedded in the city wall, like a cave. This used to be a place for storing ammunition and holding slaves. After renovation and painting, the walls and colonnade were painted apricot yellow, the doorframe was painted ochre red, and the colonnade was decorated with white, which made people feel no longer cold.

The clothes and works of art sold in the shop are all complex in design and strong in color, and none of them are monochrome. In other words, there are far more black elements than Spanish elements. This shop only accepts dollars, but gives change to Colombian pesos. One dollar is equivalent to 3256 pesos! The economic depression in Colombia is obvious.

After visiting the shopping area, the coach got off in front of San Pedro Claver Church, which was built in 1699 and is a local landmark church. Then follow the guide for sightseeing on foot. According to the scheduled itinerary, walk for one and a half hours, and list three key points: Claver Church in San Pedro, Plaza de Teresa and Plaza de Bolí var.

Claver Church in San Pedro commemorates Father St Peter, a Jesuit. He was baptized by 300,000 slaves and was consecrated after his death. There are several statues of him in this ancient city. Saint Teresa's Square, named after the monastery, was bought and sold by slaves who were brought to the square that year. After delivery, they were branded on their backs and taken to various places for hard labor.

Bolí var Square commemorates Bolí var, the revolutionary hero of Central and South America. There is a statue of him riding a horse in the square. When Bolí var led the army uprising, El Salvador, Colombia, Bolivia, Venezuela and Peru gained independence from Spain. The country of Bolivia is named after him.

Buildings in the old city, except churches, bell towers, etc. Most of them are two or three floors, with red tiles on the roof and white, apricot, pink, ochre red, blue and green on the exterior wall, which can be said to be a variant of Spanish architecture. Some black women wearing bright clothes and fruits shuttled through the streets, adding a sense of color to this tropical Latin American city.

African-American women dressed in colorful fruits were photographed in front of the castle. Photo by Li Zhifu

The weather was too hot for the elderly tour guide, who soon took us back to Claver Church in San Pedro. Rest for more than half an hour, get on the bus and have lunch in the restaurant with flags hanging at the door. Mir people come here to eat in three steps, each step is one hour, and they can probably handle three or four cars at the same time. We are the last step.

Everyone is hot and thirsty, but drinks are only served once, and the second time, even if it is just boiled water, you have to pay extra. Mir passengers, especially young passengers, like to take photos of food and pass them on to friends. I've never filmed it. What did you eat today? Let me think about it. There are shrimp salad, coconut rice the size of a baseball, fried sweet potatoes and fish steak. Smell. I'm hungry anyway. Let's just say that.

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