Page 19 - PGA Community News - May '21

May 2021 May 2021 PGA C.A.N.!, Page 19

Cartagena ‘The Heroic City’ from page 18

Tourists and local residents watch the sun set over the Caribbean Sea from the old city wall
The Clock Tower Gate in Cartagena’s old city surrounding Cartagena.

Other precautions were also implemented to reinforce in or out of the harbor. Towering above all of the other fortress was expanded and renamed in 1657. It was then
the city. The streets of the city were intentionally made forts, 135 feet above sea level, was Castillo San Felipe de captured and destroyed by the French in 1697. Between
narrow and crooked to slow the advance of the enemy Barajas. It was built in a strategic location on the Hill of 1762 and 1769 it was rebuilt to its current state. It is now
during battle. San Lázaro, protecting the isthmus of Cabrero, and even the site of modern “sound and light” spectaculars, staged
The two forts that guarded the bay were San José and today it remains the most overpowering element of the with the fort as a background. These performances depict
San Fernando. At one time, a massive chain was draped city as well as its focal point. the bloody history of Cartagena.
from one fort to the other to prevent ships from sailing Originally known as the Castillo de San Lázaro, the Cartagena’s people were victim to five sieges during the
16th century, the most famous led by Sir Francis Drake in
1586. Drake made it into Cartagena’s harbor and accepted
a 10 million peso ransom for not burning the city. Just after
Experience Dentistry with a Woman’s Touch the wall around the city was completed, England attacked
again … what timing. The British threw 24,000 men and
186 ships against the city, to no avail, and were turned back
Cosmetic & Comprehensive Restorative Dentistry … Cartagena had successfully defended itself.
In 1811, Cartagena tried unsuccessfully to declare

independence from Spain. Its independence was thwarted,
State of the Art & Same Day Restorations after a long siege in 1815, by Spanish loyalist troops under
the command of Pablo Morillo. This encounter earned
Nitrous Oxide/Oxygen Sedation Available Cartagena the title of “The Heroic City” – the Colombians
refer to it as “La Heroica.” It wasn’t until 1819 when the
Joanne Green, D.D.S. liberator of South America, Simón Bolívar, led the attack
that liberated Cartagena, and Colombia, once and for all.
The liberation from Spain is the city’s principal celebration,
10887 N. Military Trail, Suite 6 and is celebrated on Nov. 11.
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410 The most famous religious celebration in Cartagena is
the Feast of Our Lady of La Candelaria. Each year on Feb.
(561) 622-2815 • www.joannegreendds.com 2, pilgrims walk up the 500-foot hill in a candlelit procession
to the parish of Pie de Popa.
Medical College of Virginia School of Dentistry - Cum Laude Cartagena continued as Columbia’s leading port, but was
Hospital of the University of Penn - General Practice Residency Training handicapped by inadequate connection to the interior. By the
Harvard Dental School - Former Instructor 1840s it had declined in population and commerce; however
Boston Brigham and Women’s Dental Group - Staff Dentist all of this changed in the first part of the 20th century.
The rebirth of the city as Colombia’s fifth largest can be
attributed to the opening of the oil field in Rio Magdalena
Valley in 1917. The pipeline from Barrancabermeja, 340
miles up the Magdalena River, to the Bahía de Cartagena,
opened in 1926, making Cartagena the country’s chief oil
port. Today, Cartagena’s wealth is centered around the
Palm Beach Beauty Salon timber from the headwaters of the Atrato and San Juan
rivers, coffee from the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and the oil
products that are still being piped in from Barrancabermeja.
Today, Cartagena is the capital of the Bolívar department
of Colombia. Its slightly over one million* urban inhabitants
10% use Spanish as their main language, but English is widely
spoken. Roman Catholics make up 95 percent of the
population with small Protestant and Jewish minorities.
OFF The climate is warm and tropical, similar to ours, and their
rainy season parallels ours, from May to November. Dress
is casual, again, similar to ours here in South Florida.
It’s interesting to note that a major portion of the business
Tues. community’s activities are cyclical, tying into the seasons.
Business is conducted from May to November (rainy
New clients only season), with the business community generally taking
holidays from September to February. One might suspect
that there are no migrating snowbirds in South America
Susan that flock to Colombia. For those United States citizens
interested in visiting, don’t forget that you’ll need to obtain
a visa for travel in Colombia.
Swafford cities/cartagena-population
*Source: https://worldpopulationreview.com/world-

formerly with Beauty To Go Don Kiselewski writes from his personal experiences,
having traveled in 122 countries and cruised the oceans,
seas and rivers of the world. Palm Beach Gardens Travel
561-312-0457 Leaders, his family owned and operated agency, is located
at Mirasol Town Square, 11360 North Jog Road, Building
A, Suite 102-6, Palm Beach Gardens. The agency has been
serving the travel needs of the South Florida area for over
4595 Northlake Blvd., Suite 113 a quarter of a century. Contact him at (561) 694-9696 or
$
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418 Products starting at 69 Aussie@PBGTravel.com.
Photos by Don Kiselewski