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WayPoint EL CABRERO

 

El Cabrero is a neighbourhood in Cartagena de Indias (Colombia). It is located facing the Caribbean Sea, with the Cabrero lagoon behind it. To the southwest it borders the historic walled city, specifically the bastions of San Lucas and Santa Catalina, and to the northeast it borders the Marbella neighbourhood.

History
 The curious name of this neighbourhood comes from the first centuries of the city's history, when a goat farm developed in its location that reproduced copiously, giving its name not only to the neighbourhood but also to the geographical features in its surroundings such as the lagoon, the hill or the swamp. This name appears on maps of Cartagena de Indias in the 18th century.

At the entrance to the neighbourhood there was a small fortification for riflemen called Revellín which was accessed by a wooden bridge built over a wide moat that connected the waters of the sea with those of the swamp. When work began on improving the neighbourhood, the Revellín was demolished and the moat was completely sealed, so that there are no traces of its presence today.

Only from the 19th century onwards, when attacks by sea on the city ceased, did the space outside the walls of Cartagena de Indias begin to be populated, this neighbourhood being one of the first due to its proximity and coastal position. The great boost to the definitive consolidation of the neighborhood and its beautification was given at the end of the 19th century by the residence of Rafael Núñez, twice president of the United States of Colombia and twice of the Republic of Colombia, and his wife Soledad Román.

Urban evolution

View of the neighbourhood from the Altamar del Cabrero Building
Traditionally, it has been a neighbourhood of individual houses and inhabited by fishermen. Little by little, apartment buildings have been built for residential and tourist uses, which, due to their great height, create a strong contrast with the traditional houses.

In the sea, "T" shaped spurs have been installed, which, thanks to the waves, have favoured the formation of new semicircular beaches, gaining ground from the sea.

The neighbourhood currently has three roads:

Avenida Santander: runs along the coast.
Calle Real de El Cabrero: runs longitudinally through the neighbourhood.
Carrera 3ª, also called Soledad Román: runs along the Cabrero lagoon through land that was previously populated by mangroves. It has a cycle path along its route.

Monuments and points of interest

Rafael Núñez House-Museum

President Rafael Nuñez's House
House where the 4-time President of Colombia Rafael Núñez lived with his wife Soledad Román de Núñez. It is a mansion built entirely of wood. The building offers guided tours and the original period furniture is displayed inside. It also has a beautiful patio with abundant vegetation.

Opposite the house on the other side of the street is the main entrance to Apolo Park and behind it is the statue of Rafael Núñez on a pedestal facing the house.

The El Cabrero House Museum Foundation founded by Eduardo Lemaitre Román and Teresita Román de Zurek together with the Ministry of Culture of Colombia is in charge of managing the historical assets of Rafael Núñez and Soledad Román.

Ermita del Cabrero

Church of El Cabrero
It is located inside the Apolo Park. It was built in honor of Our Lady of Mercy as payment for a promise by Doña Soledad Román to stop the war that was imminently going to destroy the city.

In the chapel on both sides of the main altar rest the remains of President Rafael Núñez and his wife Soledad Román in two mausoleums.

Apolo Park

It forms a complex with the Cabrero chapel and the house of Rafael Núñez. In its centre stands a monument made as a tribute to the Constitution of 1886, of which Rafael Núñez was the main inspiration. It consists of a circular base surrounded by several columns that support a circular lintel. At the base there are 9 pedestals with the busts of 9 of the most important figures of the three stages into which the History of Colombia is divided: pre-Columbian, colonial and republican. The 9 figures are listed below:

Carex: Caribbean Indian who confronted Don Pedro de Heredia, founder of the city of Cartagena de Indias.
Domingo Benkos Biohó: Leader of the black slaves who led the fight for freedom.
Sebastián de Eslava: Viceroy of New Granada.
Pedro Zapata de Mendoza: Governor of Cartagena. He is responsible for the excavation of the dam channel and the construction of the primitive Castle of San Felipe de Barajas.
Vicente Celedonio Piñeres: Together with his two brothers Gabriel and Germán, he led the political movement that culminated in the independence of Cartagena on November 11, 1811.
General Juan José Nieto: President of the Granadine Confederation and of the Sovereign State of Bolívar. In addition to being a soldier, he was a historian and novelist.
Miguel Antonio Caro: Drafter of the 1886 Constitution.
Rafael Núñez: President of Colombia and inspiration for the 1886 Constitution.
José María Campo Serrano: He sanctioned the 1886 Constitution.
Near this monument is the bust of Eduardo Lemaitre Román, an illustrious historian and academic who dedicated his life to preserving the memory of Cartagena de Indias and studying its history and that of Colombia. Eduardo Lemaitre Román, together with his cousin Teresita Román de Zurek, founded the Casa Museo de El Cabrero Foundation, an entity that administers and oversees the preservation of the legacy of Rafael Nuñez and Soledad Román.

National Federation of Coffee Growers

National Federation of Coffee Growers
The National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia has its headquarters in a beautiful mansion next to Rafael Núñez's house on Calle Real del Cabrero. Two plaques can be seen on the door. The upper one is the symbol with the image of Juan Valdez, which is the mark of authenticity of Café de Colombia. The lower one contains a brief historical account of the neighborhood.

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