Las Bóvedas is a long, bright yellow structure defined by forty-seven arches and twenty-three vaulted chambers set directly into the thick stone of Cartagena's northern city walls. Built between seventeen ninety-two and seventeen…
Essential Cartagena
This walk takes you through the most iconic architectural landmarks and historic plazas of Cartagena, from its fortified walled city to the panoramic heights of La Popa.
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1. Las Bóvedas
2. Training Center of the Spanish Cooperation
The Training Center of the Spanish Cooperation occupies the historic Claustro de Santo Domingo, a large stone building recognizable by its massive, arched colonial architecture and position on the plaza of the same name. Created by the…
3. Plaza de Santo Domingo
The Plaza de Santo Domingo is defined by the heavy, bronze sculpture of a reclining nude woman known as La Gorda Gertrudis, which sits at its center. This square in the historic walled city of Cartagena takes its name from the Church of…
4. Museum of Cartagena de Indias
The Museo Histórico de Cartagena de Indias is recognizable by its expansive, ornate wooden balconies that look out over the Plaza de Bolívar. Housed within the eighteenth-century building known as the Palacio de la Inquisición, the…
5. Plaza de San Pedro Claver
The Plaza de San Pedro Claver is distinguished by its collection of iron sculptures created by artist Edgardo Carmona, which depict everyday figures like chess players and street vendors throughout the square. It sits in the heart of the…
6. Monumento Torre del Reloj
The Torre del Reloj is a cream and ochre gate with three archways, crowned by an eight-sided tower that displays a clock on each of its four faces. This structure marks the main entrance to the walled historic center of Cartagena de…
7. Plaza de la Trinidad
The cream-colored, colonial facade of the Iglesia de la Santísima Trinidad stands over Plaza de la Trinidad, anchoring the Getsemaní neighborhood. Completed in the middle of the seventeenth century, the church remains one of the oldest in…
8. San Felipe de Barajas Fort
The Castillo San Felipe de Barajas is a massive stone fortress that encases the entirety of San Lázaro Hill. It is distinguished by its triangular layout, series of interconnected bastions, and a complex network of underground tunnels that…
9. Convent of Santa Cruz de la Popa
The Convent of Santa Cruz de la Popa crowns the highest point of a hill in Cartagena known for its resemblance to the stern of a ship. Its whitewashed walls and red-tiled roofs stand nearly one hundred and fifty meters above sea level.…