Cartagena de Indias is a city that since its origin until today has highly influenced the events in Colombia. In pre columbian times its coasts were inhabited by warrior indians of the Caribe race which would give problems to more than one colonizing expedition that dared to disembark in its beaches.
Don Pedro de Heredia arrived to the indian community of Calamar (where today stands the Walled Downtown) looking for a site to camp with running water.Fierce encounters with the region's indians were frequent, and after exploring nearby lands, Heredia decided to found Cartagena de Poniente, unlike Cartagena de Levante in Spain. This would be on June 1st of 1533.Shortly afterwards, the city was traced within the zone, the lands were distributed among the colonizers and the corresponding positions for the legal birth of the community were named, where months before Pedro de Heredia had established a provisional camp.
strong boqueron
Cartagena de Indias as a key city for the Spanish Empire since its beginning was a military objective to then rival countries such as England and France. For this the fortification of the city was indispensable to secure victory in case of an enemy assault.
On April 13th of 1697 would arrive to Cartagena de Indias the Baron de Pointis, with a great fleet that would start to bomb the city the next day.He disembarked on the island of Tierrabomba with his soldiers and buccaneers to attack the Castle San Luis de Bocachica, defended by Don Sancho Ximeno who would repel the attack bravely and then would be betrayed by his own soldiers, mostly black slaves which took the first chance hand over the weapons and open the castle doors to the french.
Declaration of Absolute Independence from Spain
At the end of the first decade of de XIX th century there was a division between the people of Cartagena de Indias produced by the existence of two parties: the Toledistas and the Piñeristas. The Toledistas were commanded by José María García de Toledo and the Piñeristas were directed by the brothers Germán and Gabriel Gutierrez de Piñeres.
Rafael Núñez governs Colombia
One of the most outstanding statesmen in Colombia in the XIXth century was Dr. Rafael Núñez, a cartagenero that would show the nation the path towards political, social and economic stability.
Son of Francisco Núñez García and Dolores Moledo García, was born on September 28th of 1825 in Cartagena de indias when it was recently getting used to its new condition of Sovereign State and independent from Spain.
Morillo surrounds Cartagena |
Fernando VII had returned to his throne after the war against Napoleon had ended and didn't wait more to send to America the powerful military expedition commanded by Pablo Morillo, the Pacifier, who had the difficult mission of reconquering all the rebel provinces of the Spanish Crown.
