Santa Marta
Santa Marta, city, northern Colombia. It is situated on a small bay of the Caribbean Sea 40 miles (64 km) east-northeast of the mouth of the Magdalena River, to which it is connected by swampy channels and lakes. Founded in 1525, it is the oldest city in Colombia. It became a port for colonial New Granada, though it was of lesser importance than neighboring Cartagena. Simón Bolívar, hero of the struggle for independence, died at an estate on the edge of town in 1830.
Santa Marta’s commerce overtook that of the port of Cartagena in the mid-19th century but then declined because the channels to the Magdalena were inadequate for steamboats. In the 1880s Santa Marta began shipping bananas grown in the hinterland to the south. The Atlantic Railway, completed in 1961, provided the city’s first rail connection with the capital city Bogotá. Santa Marta is also accessible by highway and is served by Simón Bolívar International Airport, which is approximately 10.3 miles (16.5 km) south of the city center.
Modern-day Santa Marta is a tourist destination for many Colombians. One of the most popular areas to visit is Tayrona National Park, which is known for its variety of beaches and rich biodiversity, including species of jaguars, anteaters, ocelots, howler monkeys, and night monkeys, among others. An additional area of interest is the Lost City, also known as Teyuna, an ancient Indigenous settlement in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. Teyuna is an important site for the descendants of the Tairona, and its origins date to approximately 800 ce. Historic downtown Santa Marta is well preserved, with architecture dating to colonial times. Santa Marta is one of the earliestcities founded by the Spanish in the Americas, and its urban area is centered around the city’s main plaza, Simón Bolívar Park. This plaza is surrounded by many colonial buildings, including the Museum of Gold (Spanish: Museo del Oro), housed in the historic Customs House built in the early 16th century. The museum features an extensive collection of pre-Hispanic artifacts—gold, ceramics, bone, shell, and stone—that highlight the culture and history of the Indigenous Tairona communities. Pop. (2018) 455,299.
