Santa Marta is a city and
municipality located in northern
Colombia
by the
Caribbean
sea
and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
mountains, capital of the Magdalena Department. The city
is an important maritime port and hub for tourism, history and
culture. It was founded on July 29, 1525 by Spanish conqueror
Rodrigo de Bastidas, who named
the city after the Catholic day for Saint Martha, which in Spain
was celebrated with festivities. However many historians argue that
he named it after the Spanish city of Santa Marta de Astorgas,
which he had also visited.
It was one of the first cities to be founded
in Colombia. The
first one was
Santa María la
Antigua del Darién.
El Libertador Simón
Bolívar died at a ranch named
Quinta de San Pedro
Alejandrino on the outskirts of Santa Marta on December 17,
1830. The city has been affected to some extent by the
Colombian Armed Conflict.
History
Prior to the Arrival of Spanish explorers, the area where Santa
Marta lies was inhabited by
Amerindians
from the
Tairona culture, and its subsequent
families:
Arhuacos and
Koguis, among others.
The city was founded in July 29, 1525 by Spanish conqueror
Rodrigo de Bastidas, accompanied by some
two hundred of his men and a few Amerindians. He named the city
after the
Catholic day for
Saint Martha, which in Spain was celebrated with
festivities. However, many historians argue that he named it after
the Spanish city of
Santa Marta
de Astorgas, which he had visited. With its foundation, the
Spanish colonization also started the conquering of lands from this
region, and the set up of administrative functions for the colony,
including a maritime port and the construction of defenses to
prevent pirate raids.
During the
Colonial times the city started losing its importance as maritime
port to nearby city port of Cartagena
.
During the mid-19th century, French, English and North American
immigrants along with some locals started to introduce industrial
ways of productions and founded trade associations among
industrials and the farmers. As a result they built railways which
would connect productive networks.
In 1871, the
University of
Magdalena was founded, initially with two faculties:
law and
medicine.
During the 20th century the city served as a main port for massive
exports of
bananas and
coal, produced inland with the assistance of major
multinational corporations.
In 1968 the government decentralized the Port Authority, leaving
Santa Marta with its own Port Authority (
Capitania de
Puerto).
In recent years, Santa Marta has attracted large numbers of people
displaced by the
paramilitary groups operating
in the area. The warm climate and the possibility of occasional
work serving the tourist industry has increased the city's
population drastically.
Geography and climate
Climate
Global positioning of Santa
Marta.
Temperatures in the city of Santa Marta
ranges from 18.65 to 31.15 degrees Celsius at sea level, but the
Municipality of Santa Marta stretches up to the highest snowy peaks
of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. Rainfall in this region varies from 12 to
975 mm per month.
Economy
Tourism
Las Fiestas del Mar (The Festival of the Sea) is celebrated on a
yearly basis in this city. It serves as a tourist attraction during
the midyear vacation period. One of the main events in the festival
is the jetski show organized by Santa Marta Esqui. There are beauty
pageants, parades and parties in the city. The Festival's slogan is
"Santa Marta, la magia de tenerlo todo", which translates
as "Santa Marta, the magic of having it all."
- Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino: Built in the
17th century, was the last home of Simon
Bolivar, today it is a house/museum in his honor.
Port of
Santa Marta
one of Colombia's most important maritime ports.
- The Cathedral: it is a national monument built
in 1766, it held the remains of Simon Bolivar until 1842.
- La Casa de la Aduana (Customs House): it is
the oldest house of America, built in 1530. Today it is the Tayrona
Museum.
- Madame Agustine House: it is a jewel of
colonial architecture.
- San Fernando Fort: built by Spanish conquerors
to protect the city from the pirates, it is a fine sample of
colonial military architecture.
- Tayrona
National Natural Park: located 34 km north of
Santa Marta, it is the most important ecological reserve in
Colombia. It has camping zones, virgin beaches, ecotourism, and
indigenous tribes.
- Quebrada Valencia: a majestic waterfall
emerging in the middle of the rain forest.
- Pueblito: also known as Cahirama, it is one of
the 200 pre-Columbian cities discovered near Sierra Nevada de Santa
Marta.
- Taganga: an authentic fishing town, it is
known as a great place for scuba diving, and it has beautiful
beaches nearby.
- The Mamancana Natural Reserve: This natural
reserve offers the possibility to see wildlife and practice extreme
sports such as paragliding, downhill, rock climbing, and
canopying.
Sister Cities
Santa Marta has one
sister city:
Sports
The town has a football (soccer) team,
Unión Magdalena nicknamed
El ciclón
bananero (The Banana Cyclone).
Santa Marta is the birthplace of
Carlos Valderrama, Colombia's
most famous football (soccer) player,
Carlos Vives, as well as
Johan Vonlanthen, a Swiss
international.
See also
Notes
- Santa Marta: City government santamarta.gov.co
Accessed 29 September 2006.
- DIMAR: Port Authority of Santa Marta
dimar.mil.co Accessed 29 September 2006.
- Miami Beach Sister Cities Program
References
External links
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