Cathedral and Plaza de Bolivar - Shade, Stone and Gold

Photo: Mariordo (Mario Roberto Duran Ortiz), CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)

A stop on Cartagena Walled City Walk, a free self-guided tour.

Step into the leafy Plaza de Bolivar, the coolest spot in the old town. Benches sit under big trees, and in the center rides a bronze Simon Bolivar, the leader of independence who in 1821 called Cartagena the Heroic City for the sieges it had survived.

On the plaza's corner rises the Cathedral of Saint Catherine of Alexandria. Work began in 1577, but in 1586 Francis Drake fired on the unfinished church while pressing the city for ransom, and the cathedral was not completed until 1612. The tower and dome you see today come from a remodeling in the early 20th century, which is why the top looks younger than the thick walls below.

Also on this plaza is the Museo del Oro Zenu, run by Colombia's central bank, with gold work made by the Zenu people who lived in this region long before the Spanish arrived. It is a cool, quiet break from the heat.

Rest a minute under the trees and listen for the musicians who often play here.

Getting here: From the front of the Palace of the Inquisition, cross Plaza de Bolivar diagonally to its north-east corner by the cathedral.

Did you know?: Before it honored Bolivar, this square was known as the Plaza de la Inquisicion, after its most feared neighbor.

Photo op: From inside the plaza, frame the Bolivar statue with the cathedral tower rising behind it.

More on Wikipedia: Cartagena Cathedral, Colombia · Simon Bolivar · Zenu

Cathedral and Plaza de Bolivar - Shade, Stone and Gold

Stops on this tour