From around 7000BC, the Puerto Hormiga culture was found on the Caribbean coast of Colombia and consecutive cultures included the Karibs, Malibus, Arawaks and Kalamari peoples. Around 1000AD the Tairona culture thrived in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. Their descendants, the Kogi, were featured in an incredible book and film 'From the Heart of the World' where they, the Elder Brother, sent a warning to us, the Younger Brother, about how our actions are causing an ecological imbalance on their sacred mountain.
Cartagena de las Indias is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a city I had always wanted to visit due to its well-preserved colonial architecture painted in warm ochre hues, with beautiful wooden balconies. The city certainly did not disappoint and I think in this case pictures are better than words. We stopped for a cup of coconut lemonade under the relative coolness of the courtyard arches in the Sofitel hotel, housed in a former monastery with toucans hopping from chair to chair. Cartagena is definitely a city I want to revisit and would make an ideal location for a Pachacuti photoshoot!
