Cartagena played a fundamental role in this revolution. It sat astride the rushing river of precious metals that flowed back to Spain and her European neighbors. Without American gold and silver, national coinage would not have been possible. The expansion of feudal European economies would not have occurred, and the rise of European nation states may not have happened at all.

European gold reserves in 1500 were valued at about $225 million. In today’s terms, that’s about $22 billion in today’s terms. During the next 300 years, the Spanish and Portuguese would ship nearly 3 times that - $60 billion – back across the seas to Europe. Cartagena was the greatest single tributary of this river of specie.

Countless men and women gave their lives to capture or protect this treasure. In 200 years, Cartagena was besieged 11 separate times. Our tour will take us through a city surrounded by walls and castles that can only be compared to Europe’s great warring kingdoms. Our journey will also take us through the magic of the colonial city, crisscrossed by fascinating side streets, exquisite entrance doors, austere cloisters and shaded plazas.