colombia boasts a rich history of art, ranging from pre-columbian petroglyphs and pottery to botero’s famous self-named art style that was popularized in the late 50’s, to our cities becoming living museums of some of the most stunning street art in the world.

getsemaní, cartagena’s rebellious, artistic neighborhood, is a few blocks from the old city and full of murals depicting afro-colombian heritage, colombia’s wild diversity of flora and fauna, and icons of colombian history. it is the opposite of the old city’s dreamlike, colorful, colonial walls and perfectly preserved architecture, giving us the best of both worlds. as we stroll down getsemaní’s cobblestone streets, we’ll run into artists selling paintings, local galleries, and tiny cafés for when the heat gets to be too much.

while getsemaní brings us into the art of today, la ciudad amurallada - the walled city/the old city/where we’ll be staying - excellently preserves cartagena’s past. cartagena’s enormous wealth from the trade of enslaved people made it a very wealthy spanish colony. one of the most notable things about the old city is the massive wall that encases it, built in 1586 to protect the city from near constant pirate attacks. this unique construction means the city’s original architecture, balconies, cobblestone streets, were excruciatingly well-maintained, eventually becoming a UNESCO world heritage site in 1984.

as we walk around the old city, pay attention to the intricate design of cartagena’s doors and door knockers, which used to be a sign of social hierarchy in colonial times. a fish, for example, represented a family engaged in fishing or port business. a lion typically represented the household of someone working in the military, or a royal official of some kind.