Liberation

“Colombians! My last wish is for the happiness of the patria. If my death contributes to the end of partisanship and the consolidation of the union, I shall be lowered in peace into my grave.” Quoted in Man of Glory : Simón Bolívar (1939) by Thomas Rourke

Santa Marta: the oldest surviving city in America, founded  in 1525. In Latin American history it seems best-known for being where Simon Bolivar, El Libertador in  Laid up  by tuberculosis, he went to the sugar plantation, Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino (owned by a Spaniard who was both friend and enemy to Bolivar) to await transport to Europe to seek treatment for his condition.  And it was here he died not long after he arrived.

seven countries’ fights for independence from Spain, died at the age of 47.

Today’s visit was to the quinta, which was built in 1608 and is now a museum.  We saw the bed in which Bolivar died, the bakery table on which his autopsy was performed (in addition to his TB, he had kidney stones---just in case that ever turns up as a trivia question), and such niceties as the bathroom that he used.  The estate itself is a botanical garden, filled with plant and animal life, including some surprisingly frisky iguanas.  In the courtyard, dancers performed some of the traditional folk dances of the indigenous people, with a dance routine that starts as something slow and elegant and some 20 minutes later becomes a lively boogie.

 

This estate is also an art museum in the newer buildings (circa 1930), today including an installation that addresses the transformation of Colombia over the past decade or so from a cartel battleground to a state trying to live in peace and convince the world to come visit.

Next up: Cartagena, Colombia.