Cartagena, Colombia

This week, my entry in the photo challenge takes us to South America. Krista challenges us to share our interpretation of “enveloped”. You can read her entire challenge post here. In scanning my library of photos, I came upon a handful of images, mostly of cloud-shrouded mountains. Some of those images are interesting, and I may just do a second post featuring them if time permits. In any case, when I got to the folder containing images of Cartagena, I immediately knew the direction of my challenge entry. According to the online dictionary, dictionary.com, envelop means to surround, cover, wrap or sheath. In the photo above, our carriage is flanked by a long protective wall.

Due to an accident of geography, Cartagena grew and developed into a wealthy trading port in the 16^th century. The town was so wealthy; it became the target of many a sea captain flying the Jolly Mary (skull and crossbones) flag. Fending off pirates became much easier when the townspeople built a wall enveloping the city. Openings in the wall were provided for cannon to fire upon the pirate ships. A defensive point is depicted in the photo above.

Openings in the wall were protected by huge wooden gates and guarded; you could call Cartagena an early “gated community.” Today the gates are gone and roads freely pass through the openings as can be seen in the background of the photo above. Modern-day Cartagena has long since outgrown the confines of the walled city and modern defenses protect the city these days. But the wall still remains, a historical symbol of a time when pirates ruled the seas. More photos of our visit to Cartagena are here.

John Steiner