Cartagena (Old City)
The Old City lies on the outskirts of Cartagena's urban center. This tightly compact, walled-in area was the original Spanish fort and colony founded in early 1500's and survives into the modern era. It was also one of largest slave trading ports in the western hemisphere.
Most intriguing about Cartagena, Colombia, is the racial mix descended from the original Amerindian tribes, European settlers, and African slaves. Colombia's people are colorful, beautiful, artistic and proud!
Almost immediately upon settling into the "new world", Spanish King Phillip III ordered the Catholic Monarchs to set up a court of inquisition in Cartagena in 1610. The Palace of Inquisition operated for two hundred years, torturing thousands and publicly executing over 800 non-Catholics found to be guilty of practicing black magic. The Palace of Inquisition is now a museum housing various physical and multimedia exhibits showcasing prehistorical and colonial era artifacts, torture and execution devices used during inquisitions, and artwork. You can tour the entire museum in about an hour.
Dinner at La Mulata was superb! They served a plantain-chip appetizer and we ordered a bottle of white wine and seafood ceviche - a divine, perfectly soured mix of sea bass, avocado, squid, mussels, and scallops (and no onions, per my request). #NoFoodNoLife
