Everything about Santa Marta totally explained
» This article is about the Colombian city. For other uses, see Santa Marta (disambiguation).
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. Founded on
July 29,
1525 by Spanish conqueror
Rodrigo de Bastidas, the city is an important maritime port and hub for tourism, history and culture. It was named after the Biblical
Martha and was the first city to be founded in continental land in the Americas.
El Libertador Simón Bolívar died at a ranch named
Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino on the outskirts of Santa Marta on
17 December,
1830.
History
The area where Santa Marta lies was inhabited prior to the Arrival of Spanish explorers 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'd 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 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 is founded, with initially two faculties:
law and
medicine.
During the
20th Century the city served as 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 Por 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
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 stratches 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" (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's a house/museum in his honor.
- The Cathedral: it's a national monument built in 1766, it held the remains of Simon Bolivar until 1842.
La Casa de la Aduana (Customs House): it's the oldest house of America, built in 1530. Today it's the Tayrona Museum.
Madame Agustine House: it's a jewel of the colonial architecture.
San Fernando Fort: built by Spanish conquerors to protect the city from the pirates, it's a fine sample of colonial military architecture.
Tairona National Park: located at 34 km north of Santa Marta, it's 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's one of the 200 pre-Columbian cities discovered near Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.
Taganga: an authentic fishing town, it's 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
Miami Beach, United States
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.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Santa Marta'.
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