Statue in Cartagena, Colombia
About this photograph
- Creator
- Margery H. Freeman
- Date created
- 1991
- Location
- Cartagena, Colombia
- License
- This photograph copyright ©2006. Terms of use
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A statue of a man holding a long stick sits atop a stone pedestal.
This statue may represent an African slave brought to Latin America. Cartagena was one of the largest ports for the arrival of slaves brought from Africa during the colonial period. While Brazil and Cuba received the majority of enslaved Africans, Colombia, Mexico, and Venezuela all imported many thousands of Africans. Cartagena had a very active slave market, where newly arrived Africans would be sold to local plantation owners.
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. Because of its colonial wealth, the city of Cartagena was forced to defend itself from several incursions by the English and French navies, as well as pirates. More recently Cartagena has become increasingly industrialized, though its tropical climate and extremely high humidity ensures that the city will retain its lush vegetation.
