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http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/south-america |
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Once upon a time, Cartagena was filled Although it sounds like a fairy tale, or even a Hollywood film, this is the real-life story of Cartagena. The city was attacked by pirates, not once, not twice, but six times. The most devastating of the attacks happened in 1572. It was conducted by Sir Francis Drake, an Englishman praised as a hero back home because he’d successfully sailed around the globe. |
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Unless it coughed up a ransom. Drake made off with 10 million pesos and loads of booty. Cartagena licked its wounds for a while, then kicked it into gear and started building a massive wall around the entire town. It took over a hundred years to complete the task, but even before the walls were done, the city had a chance to take them out for a test drive. In 1741, another band of pirates tried to attack. This time, Cartagena beat them off. These fortified walls still stand. The buildings inside the walls still stand, too. This is where John and Catherine Geisen-Kisch now live. Yet Cartagena outgrew its walls a long time ago. Its modern downtown is crowded with skyscrapers and cafes; its suburbs spill into the distance. But the old walls remain—a constant reminder of the city’s pirate-battling days
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The Inca Empire was huge. It covered a big chunk of South America, stretching from the bottom edge of present-day Colombia to the middle of present-day Chile. When Spanish explorers conquered the Inca, they took all the gold, silver and gem stones they could find. They looted everything and sent it home to the King and Queen of Spain. Cartagena was the most logical place to bring the loot because it was situated on the Caribbean Sea. At the time, the Panama Canal had not yet been dug, so there was no short cut through the Americas. If the stolen goods had been taken to a city on Colombia’s other coast, the Pacific coast, then the Spanish ships would have had a really long route home. They would have had to sail all the way around the bottom of South America before heading to Spain. Another good thing about Cartagena’s location was that it was backed by dense jungle. The Amazon Rainforest protected Cartagena from the south. Because it was so thick and dangerous, it made attack from this direction unlikely.
The Spanish Main was a region. It was the land that was controlled and colonized by Spain in the New World. Since these countries are now independent nations, the Spanish Main no longer exists. However, when it did exist, it helped protect Spanish ships. Because the land of the Spanish Main was naturally shaped like a C, a ship that had been loaded with gold could sail close to the shore line anywhere along the Spanish Main and hopefully be protected by fellow countrymen. The goal was to discourage pirates. The two other important cities on the Spanish Main were Portobelo, Panama and Veracruz, Mexico. Like Cartagena, Portobelo and Veracruz were both protected by walls. Veracruz was also a very rich town. Gold and gems stolen from the Aztecs and the Maya were gathered within its walls. Another very strategic city for the Spaniards was Havana, Cuba. |
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Follow this link to the Merriam-Webster homepage.
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 Follow this link to an interactive map of United States. Follow this link to a map of Central America Follow this link to a map of Caribbean nations. Follow this link to a map of South America. Follow this link to a map of Africa. Follow this link to a map of Asia. Follow this link to a map of the Middle East. |
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 Watch a three-minute video posted on YouTube. The video shows Formula 1 cars racing on a sea-side highway in Cartagena. It starts with some scenery shots of the city then cuts to the cars. As the cars race, the city walls are always apparent in the background. Formula 1 racing cars are ultra modern. They are fast, sleek, loud and they make use of the newest technology. Yet here are they in Cartagena zipping along the city’s walls, which were built in the 16- and 1700s. The fascinating thing about this video is how it shows the ultra new and the very old living side-by-side. The people of Cartagena don’t seem to care at all about the fact that they are lounging all over a precious piece of their history. On your own paper, write an essay answering the following questions: Do you think old buildings, like the one you just named and the walls of Cartagena, should be protected? Argue your point. |
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Where did Cartagena get its riches? Good question. Much
of the gold and silver pouring into the city’s walls was stolen
from the palaces and temples of the Inca. 
Even though pirates did attack Cartagena by sea, the
city’s location did afford it some protection. Cartagena was one of three port cities in the Spanish Main.
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© 2008 Global Roam Ink
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