Walled City & Historic Center

The main entrance to Cartagena's Walled City, originally built as a simple gate in the 16th century and later crowned with its distinctive clock tower in 1888. The archway was once the sole land entrance through the city walls — slaves, gold, and goods from across the Spanish Empire passed through here. The Plaza de los Coches on the other side was Cartagena's slave market, one of the largest in the Americas, where enslaved Africans were auctioned after surviving the horrific transatlantic crossing. Today the gate frames the transition between the modern city and the colonial center.

The Portal de los Dulces just inside the gate sells traditional Caribbean sweets — cocadas, alegrías, and bolas de tamarindo. Plaza de los Coches beyond was the slave auction site.

Cartagena's central square, originally the Plaza de la Inquisicion where public sentences were read. Renamed after Simon Bolivar, whose statue stands at the center — Cartagena was the first Colombian city to declare absolute independence from Spain on November 11, 1811. The square is framed by the Cathedral (1612), the Palace of the Inquisition, and the Museo del Oro Zenu with its pre-Columbian gold collection. The cathedral was hit by Francis Drake's cannon fire in 1586 and partially rebuilt. Old men polish shoes while iguanas sun themselves between the benches.

The Museo del Oro Zenu on the plaza has an excellent free collection of pre-Columbian gold and ceramics from the Sinu and Zenu indigenous peoples.