El Cabrero is a neighborhood of
Cartagena de Indias
Cartagena ( , also ), known since the colonial era as Cartagena de Indias (), is a city and one of the major ports on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region, bordering the Caribbean sea. Cartagena's past role as a link ...
(
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
). It's situated in front of the
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...
, and in the other side, El Cabrero lagoon. On the southwest borders the walled Old City, specifically the defenses of San Lucas and Santa Catalina and the northeast, with the district of Marbella.
History
The curious name of this neighborhood comes from the first centuries of the city, when there was here, a drove of goats that were reproduced copiously naming not only the neighborhood but also the geographical features of their environment as the lagoon, the mountain or swamp. This name appears in Cartagena de Indias planes in the 18th century.
At the entrance of the neighborhood was a small fortification called Revellín which was reached by a wooden bridge built over a wide ditch that communicated the sea waters with those of the swamp. When neighborhood grew, the Revellín was destroyed and was completely sealed the pit so now there is no trace of its presence.
Only since nineteenth century when ended naval attacks from the sea, city began to fill the space outside the walls and this district was one of the firsts because of its proximity and its coastal position.
The big push to the definitive consolidation and beautification of neighborhood arrived in the late nineteenth century when lived here
Rafael Núñez, twice president of the
United States of Colombia
United States of Colombia () was the name adopted in 1863 by the for the Granadine Confederation, after years of civil war. Colombia became a federal state itself composed of nine "sovereign states.” It comprised the present-day nations ...
and another twice, of the Colombian Republic. He lived here with his wife
Soledad Román.
Urban development
![Vista de el barrio El Cabrero desde el Edificio Altamar](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/Vista_de_el_barrio_El_Cabrero_desde_el_Edificio_Altamar.jpg)
It has traditionally been a neighborhood of individual houses inhabited by
fishermen. Progressively they have been constructed apartment buildings with residential and tourism uses for its high altitude creates a strong contrast with traditional housing.
At sea have been installed seawalls like "T"; thanks to waves they have favored the formation of new semicircular
beach
A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shel ...
es gaining ground to the sea.
Nowadays, the neighborhood has 3 streets:
* Avenida Santander: it runs all the coast line.
* Calle Real de El Cabrero: it is the central street in the neighborhood.
* Carrera 3ª also called "Soledad Román": it borders the lagoon by lands populated by
mangroves. There is a
cycling infrastructure
Cycling infrastructure is all infrastructure cyclists are allowed to use. Bikeways include bike paths, bike lanes, cycle tracks, rail trails and, where permitted, sidewalks. Roads used by motorists are also cycling infrastructure, except whe ...
along this street.
Monuments and interesting points
House-museum Rafael Núñez
![Casa de rafael nuñez](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/Casa_de_rafael_nu%C3%B1ez.png)
House where lived
Rafael Núñez, 4 times president of Colombia, with his wife Soledad Román Núñez. It is a mansion built entirely of
wood
Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin th ...
. The building has guided visits and is equipped within the original period furniture. It also has a beautiful courtyard with lush vegetation.
Opposite the house across the street is the main entrance to the Apolo park and from there, statue of Rafael Nunez on his pedestal, watches his house.
The Foundation called "Casa Museo de el Cabrero" founded by
Eduardo Lemaitre Roman and
Teresita Roman de Zurek Teresita may refer to:
* Teresita (given name), a feminine given name
* ''Teresita'' (genus), a genus of moths in the family Oecophoridae
* Teresita, Missouri, United States, an unincorporated community
* Teresita, Oklahoma, United States, an unin ...
with the Ministry of Culture of Colombia administers the historical assets of Rafael Nunez and Soledad Román.
El Cabrero Church
![iglesia cabrero](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Iglesia_cabrero.jpg)
It is located inside the Apollo Park. It was built by Rafael Nunez for his wife Soledad Román could pray quietly as in other churches did not allow entry or was subject to all sorts of criticism. The reason was that she had married a divorced man as was Rafael Nunez and this constituted a scandal in the
nineteenth society of Cartagena.
In the
Chapel
A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...
on both sides of the main altar lie the mortal remains of President Rafael Nunez and his wife Soledad Román two mausoleums.
Apolo park
![Parque apolo 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Parque_apolo_1.JPG)
Forms a set with the hermitage of Cabrero and the house of Rafael Nunez. At its center a monument stands as a tribute made to the
Colombian Constitution of 1886
The Colombian Constitution of 1886 was the constitution that remade the United States of Colombia into the Republic of Colombia, and replaced the federal republic with a unitary state. Following the Civil War of 1884, a coalition of moderate ...
inspirated by Rafael Nuñez. It consists of a circular base surrounded by several columns supporting a circular lintel. At the base there are 9 pedestals with 9 busts of the most important figures of the three stages that divides the history of Colombia: pre-Columbian, colonial and republican.
This 9 figures are:
* Carex: Carib Indian who faces Don Pedro de Heredia, founder of the city of
Cartagena.
*
Domingo Benkos Biohó: Leader of black slaves leading the fight for freedom, founder of
San Basilio de Palenque
*
Sebastián de Eslava: Viceroy of
Viceroyalty of New Granada.
* Pedro Zapata de Mendoza: Governor of Cartagena. Responsible of the construction of "Canal del Dique" dam, and the primitive castle of
San Felipe.
* Vicente Celedonio Piñeres: with his two brothers Gabriel and German led the political movement that led to the independence of Cartagena on November 11, 1811.
*
General Juan José Nieto: President of
Sovereign State of Bolívar
''Sovereign'' is a title which can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin , meaning 'above'.
The roles of a sovereign vary from monarch, ruler or ...
. Besides military was historian and novelist.
*
Miguel Antonio Caro
Miguel Antonio Caro Tobar (November 10, 1845 – August 5, 1909) was a Colombian scholar, poet, journalist, philosopher, orator, philologist, lawyer, and politician.
Early life
His father, José Eusebio Caro and Mariano Ospina Rodríguez ...
: He wrote the Constitution of 1886.
* Rafael Núñez: President of Colombia and inspirator of the Constitution of 1886.
*
José María Campo Serrano
José María Campo Serrano (8 September 1832 – 6 January 1915) was a Colombian lawyer, general, and statesman, who became President of Colombia after the resignation of the President and the dismissal of the Vice President. He sanctioned the ...
: He signed the Constitution of 1886.
Near this monument is another bust of Eduardo Lemaitre Roman, distinguished historian and academic, who dedicated his life to preserving the memory of Cartagena de Indias and studying its history. Eduardo Lemaitre Roman with his cousin
Teresita Roman de Zurek Teresita may refer to:
* Teresita (given name), a feminine given name
* ''Teresita'' (genus), a genus of moths in the family Oecophoridae
* Teresita, Missouri, United States, an unincorporated community
* Teresita, Oklahoma, United States, an unin ...
founded the Casa Museo El Cabrero Foundation, the organization that manages and oversees the preservation of the legacy of Rafael Nuñez and Soledad Román.
National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia
![Federacion nacional de cafeteros de colombia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/34/Federacion_nacional_de_cafeteros_de_colombia.JPG)
The
National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia
The National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia, ( es, link=no, Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia), abbreviated as Colombian Coffee Growers Federation or Fedecafé, is a non-profit business organization, popularly known for its ...
has its headquarters in a mansion adjacent to the house of
Rafael Nunez
Rafael may refer to:
* Rafael (given name) or Raphael, a name of Hebrew origin
* Rafael, California
* Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Israeli manufacturer of weapons and military technology
* Hurricane Rafael, a 2012 hurricane
Fiction
* Rafa ...
on the Calle Real del Cabrero.
References
{{Reflist
Cartagena, Colombia
Beaches of Colombia