Religions iconography in Cartagena, Colombia
About this photograph
- Creator
- Margery H. Freeman
- Date created
- 1991
- Location
- Cartagena, Colombia
- License
- This photograph copyright ©2006. Terms of use
Related media
Learn more
- Search LEARN NC for churches, Colombia, and Roman Catholicism.
In the classroom
- See our collection of articles on visual literacy for ideas on using photographs meaningfully in the classroom.
A statue of a veiled Mary is surrounded by carvings and fresh flowers. Most likely, the statue is part of a shrine in a Catholic church off of the main aisle.
Roman Catholicism is the main religion of Colombia. Many churches from the colonial period survive, making them tourist destinations as well as places of worship. The carvings and decorations surrounding this statue denote that this church is most likely an important and well-endowed church, possibly dating from the colonial period.
Cartagena is a large seaport town on Colombia’s northern coast. It was settled in 1533 by Spanish conquistadors and was an important seaport during the colonial period. More recently Cartagena has become increasingly industrialized, though its tropical climate and extremely high humidity ensures that the city will retain its lush vegetation.
