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Cartagena · Mysteries & legends

Witches, devils and a mane of copper hair

Cartagena has a dark side that people tell in a low voice: the tribunal that tried healers for witchcraft, the bell tower the devil is said to have twisted, and the crypt where García Márquez said he saw a mane of hair twenty-two metres long. This route always separates the documented from the legend. Start it in mid-afternoon and finish on the city walls at sunset.

  • 5 stops
  • 1.6 km
  • 1 h 35 min
  • Free
Start with GPS Read about this stop 1
Sentry box on the city wall at dusk with the Bocagrande skyline behind

The route

Stop by stop

  1. 1 San Pedro Claver: the saint's bonesA skeleton in a glass casket beneath the altar and a long list of miracles told by the people of Cartagena.
  2. 2 Palace of the InquisitionThe tribunal that tried heretics, healers and alleged witches in Cartagena, and the little window where denunciations were left.
  3. 3 Church of Santo DomingoA crooked bell tower that, legend says, the devil himself pushed, and the lost grave of Blas de Lezo.
  4. 4 Former Convent of Santa ClaraThe convent where, in 1949, García Márquez saw the copper-coloured hair that inspired «Of Love and Other Demons».
  5. 5 Las BóvedasTwenty-three bombproof vaults that ended up as dungeons, and the route's final sunset.

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Start with GPS

Guide mode

Walk it with GPS.

Open guide mode on your phone: you’ll see your position and the distance to each stop, and we’ll let you know when you arrive. Then read or listen.

Start with GPS

  1. Turn on your location

  2. Walk to the spot

  3. Check the photo and listen

What you’ll discover

Witches, devils and a mane of copper hair

The real Inquisition

Actual cases from the Cartagena tribunal, with names and dates, far from the clichés.

Legends with an address

The devil of Santo Domingo, the ghosts of Santa Clara and the prisoners of Las Bóvedas, each in its own place.

A sunset finale

You end on the walls by the sea, with dinner just a few steps away in San Diego.

Keep exploring

More routes in Cartagena

Back to Cartagena
HistoryFrom Heredia to Blas de Lezo: the city everyone wanted MixedFrom Getsemaní to sunset on the walls

Itineraries

How many days do you have in Cartagena?

We’ve planned it day by day for you: which routes to walk and in what order, what else to see and where to eat.

1

Cartagena in 1 day

All three routes in one full day: the highlights, the history and the legends at dusk.

See the itinerary 2

Cartagena in 2 days

A gentler pace: the three routes over two days, plus extra sights and where to eat.

See the itinerary 3

Cartagena in 3 days

The city in depth: one route a day, extra museums and neighbourhoods, and a day for good food.

See the itinerary