Palace of the Inquisition

In front of you is the most unsettling doorway in Cartagena. In 1610 the Tribunal of the Holy Office was established in the city, the third in the Americas after Lima and Mexico. Its district covered the New Kingdom of Granada and much of the Caribbean.

1What it judged

The tribunal pursued heresy, blasphemy, bigamy and, especially in its early decades, witchcraft. Many of the accused were African or Afro-descendant women who worked as healers. One of the best known is Paula de Eguiluz, an enslaved woman born in Santo Domingo, who was tried three times between 1624 and 1636. After months of questioning she ended up telling the inquisitors what they wanted to hear: pacts with the devil and nocturnal gatherings.

The usual punishments were flogging, fines, exile or wearing the sanbenito, the penitent's garment. Burning at the stake was rare in Cartagena.

2The denunciation window

Turn the corner into Calle de la Inquisición. You will see a small window with a stone cross above it. According to tradition, anonymous denunciations against suspect neighbours were dropped in there.

Some people claim to hear footsteps and moans in the courtyard at night; it is part of the building's folklore.

The present building was completed around 1770 and since 1924 it has housed Cartagena's History Museum. Many of the torture instruments on display are reproductions.

3What to look for

• The Baroque doorway with the royal coat of arms.
• The denunciation window, in the side street.
• The wooden balconies, typical of colonial houses.