Las Bovedas - Vaults in the Wall
A stop on Cartagena Walled City Walk, a free self-guided tour.
In front of you is a long yellow arcade built right into the city wall. Behind the arches are 23 vaults, Las Bovedas, constructed in the late 1700s as bombproof storerooms for weapons and supplies. They are credited to the military engineer Antonio de Arevalo, and they were the last major building project of the Spanish colonial era inside the walls.
The vaults did not stay storerooms for long. During the wars of independence and the civil conflicts of the 1800s, they were used as prison cells. Accounts from that time describe prisoners standing in seawater that seeped in at high tide.
Today the vaults are filled with shops selling hammocks, woven mochila bags, emerald jewelry and souvenirs. Prices vary, so it is fine to compare shops and ask politely for a better price.
When you have browsed, climb the wall behind the vaults for a sea breeze and a wide view of the Caribbean.
Getting here: From Plaza de San Diego, walk north-east a short block toward the wall; the arcade of Las Bovedas runs along it.
Did you know?: The arcade in front of the vaults has 47 arches, giving the building its distinctive long, rhythmic look.
Photo op: Stand at one end of the arcade and shoot down the long row of yellow arches.
More on Wikipedia: Cartagena, Colombia
Stops on this tour
- Torre del Reloj - The Clock Tower Gate
- Getsemani and Plaza de la Trinidad - Where Independence Began
- Plaza de los Coches - A Market of Human Lives
- Plaza de la Aduana - Customs, Columbus and City Hall
- Church of San Pedro Claver - Servant of the Enslaved
- Las Murallas - Walking the City Walls
- Plaza Santo Domingo - Legends and a Botero
- Palace of the Inquisition - Fear Behind a Fine Doorway
- Cathedral and Plaza de Bolivar - Shade, Stone and Gold
- Plaza de San Diego - Convents and a Novelist's Ghost Story
- Las Bovedas - Vaults in the Wall
- Church of Santo Toribio - The Cannonball at Mass