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	SANTA MARTA Colombia Compliments of

BRIEF HISTORY

The city was founded in July 29, 1525 by Spanish conqueror Rodrigo de Bastidas, accompanied by some two hundred of his men and a few amerindians. He named the city after the Catholic day for Saint Martha, which in Spain was celebrated with festivities. It is the oldest city on continental America, providing visitors a mix of history, Indian cultural heritage, charming people and an extraordinary diversity of landscapes and beaches.

During the mid-19th Century, French, English and American immigrants along with some locals started to introduce industrial ways of productions and founded trade asociations among industrials and the farmers. As a result they built railways which would connect productive networks. During the 20th Century the city served as main port for massive exports of Bananas and coal produced inland with the assistance of major multinational corporations. Today, the city is an important maritime port and hub for tourism, history and culture.

Is located on the northeastern of the Caribbean coast of Colombia and at the foothill of the highest coastal mountain range in the world, “La Sierra Nevada”, Santa Marta has a dry climate with an average temperature of 82°F and a p opulation of 521,482 friendly people.

GEOGRAPHY

Santa Marta is set by the Caribbean Sea against the backdrop of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta , mountain named after the city. From the Spanish colonial buildings of the old city to the modern luxury beach front apartments of El Rodadero, the city offers a great contrast between the past and the future.

CLIMATE

Temperatures in the city of Santa Marta ranges from 18.65 to 31.15 (Celcius) at sea level, but the Municipality of Santa Marta stretches up to the highest snowy peaks of the mentioned Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and includes almost all climatic zones across a strip only 17 miles, from the Caribbean Sea to the perpetual snow and glaciers.

A GLIMPSE OF WHAT TO DO AND PLACES OF INTEREST

Historical:

Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino: Built in the XVII century, an 18th century villa where the Liberator Simon Bolivar died in 1830. Today the villa is divided in three main tourist attractions: the main house, which maintains its original from and period pieces, a second house remodeled to accommodate the Bolivarian Museum of Contemporary arts and the Tayrona Museum.

Custom House (Gold Museum): This is perhaps the building with the most historical importance of Santa Marta since it was the first construction which was architecturally raised in the city in 1530. Initially it served as the Government House and today is the Tayrona Museum where everything regarding the Tayrona culture can be appreciated.

Pueblito: also known as Cahirama, it is one of the 200 Indian heritage cities, where direct descendants of the ancient Tayrona Indians may be found.

The Cathedral: it is a national monument built in 1766, it held the remains of Simon Bolivar until 1842 when they were exhumed to be transferred to Caracas.

La Casa de la Aduana (customs house): it is the oldest house of America, built in 1530, Today it is the Tayrona Museum

Madame Agustine House: it is a jewel of the colonial architecture

San Fernando Fort: built by Spanish conquerors to protect the city from the pirates, it is a fine sample of colonial military architecture.

Natural Reserves and Beaches:

Ciudad Perdida (the "Lost City"): the home of the Tayrona Indians was built on the 14th century in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the world highest coastal mountain at 18,942 foot (5,775 meters), it is one of the largest pre-Columbian towns discovered in the Americas. Its stone constructions are a vivid reminder of the high level of cultural and architectural development of its builders.

Tayrona National Park: An unexploited paradises found at 34km north of Santa Marta, where more than 3,000 hectares of land and coast forming the bays of   The Tayrona National Pakr. In this national park and ecological preserve the bays named Neguanje, Concha, Cinto, and Arrecifes provide visitors a unique encounter with nature.

Quebrada Valencia: a majestic waterfall emerging in the middle of the rain forest.

Taganga: an authentic fishing town, it is known as a great place for scuba diving with beautiful beaches nearby.

The Mamancana natural reserve: which offers the possibility to see wildlife and practice extreme sports such as paragliding, downhill, rock climbing, and Canopy.

El Rodadero: one of Colombia's most fashionable beach resorts