Cartagena de las Indias

Cartagena is a costal city on the Caribbean. I didn't know much about it except that it has beautiful beaches; it has an old town and a newer town; its known for its political corruption; and our friends Josh and Paola were married there two years ago. (Hmmm...I guess that we should have asked them for suggestions.)

Shortly after arriving, the humidity and heat forced us into the first hotel we could find (30.000 pesos per person, or roughly $15). After a shower and several mosquito bites, we decided to forgo our investment and move to a plusher spot, which Nathalia found, with stronger A/C and a shower head that wasn't over the toilet.

The large print over the entry read Le Petit Hotel. But what we didn't notice until later was the small print, un lugar de diversidad. The six-room hotel, with a spacious lounge-bar, was meant to be a gay establishment. Apparently, my sister has better gaydar than I do.

The following day, Matias and I went to el Palacio de la Inquisición. Before Le Petit Hotel existed, Cartagena was an outpost for the catholic inquisition. In the 16th century, the Spanish did their best to purge the New World of heretics, because this tack had worked so well in the Old World.

What we learned in the museum, in brief: the Spanish raped, plundered, and killed the Native tribes; they made Cartagena a major port of trade, especially of Africans; the English wanted some of the action and took over for a bit; the Cartageneros declared independence (1811); the Spanish reconquered; and then independence again in 1821.