Santa Cruz de Mompox

For Mompox, the Paraguayan peasant leader, see Revolt of the Comuneros (Paraguay).

Coordinates: 9°14′N 74°25′W / 9.233°N 74.417°W / 9.233; -74.417

Santa Cruz de Mompox
Municipality

View of Mompox from the Magdalena River

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Seal

Municipality and town of Mompox in the Bolivar Department.
Country  Colombia
Region Caribbean Region
Department Bolivar Department
Foundation May 3, 1540
Government
  Mayor Jose Orlando Rojas
Elevation 10 m (30 ft)
Population (2005 est.)
  Municipality 62,140 [1]
  Urban 30,852
Time zone Colombia Standard Time (UTC-5)
Website www.santacruzdemompos-bolivar.gov.co

Mompox or Mompós, officially Santa Cruz de Mompox, is a town and municipality in northern Colombia, in the Bolívar Department, which has preserved its colonial character. Located on an island in the Magdalena River where it joins the Cauca River, 249 kilometers from Cartagena. Mompox depends upon tourism, fishing and some commerce generated by the local cattle raising. It has about 30,000 inhabitants, and is adjacent to the municipalities of Pinillos and San Fernando.

Simón Bolívar, liberator of much of Spanish South America, said "If to Caracas I owe my life, then to Mompox I owe my glory." Simón Bolívar arrived in Mompox in 1812 and recruited nearly all of the able bodied men, some four hundred, who formed the basis of the army for his victory in Caracas.

History

Mampo (or Mompoj) was the local indigenous chieftain of the Quimbaya civilization (or Kimbaya) people when the Spanish arrived, and Mompox means "land of the ruler Mampo". The city was founded on May 3, 1537 by Alonso de Heredia as a safe port on the Magdalena. Santa Cruz de Mompox became quite prosperous as a port for the transportation of goods upriver into the interior. A royal mint was established here and the town was famous for its goldsmiths. This prosperity had begun to wane in the nineteenth century, but continued until early in the twentieth century when the river shifted and sediment accumulated on this arm of the river, at which point Magangué became the favored port.

UNESCO World Heritage Site
Historic Centre of Santa Cruz de Mompox
Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List
Type Cultural
Criteria iv, v
Reference 742
UNESCO region Latin America and the Caribbean
Inscription history
Inscription 1995 (19th Session)

Buildings and architecture

Santa Cruz de Mompox is known for the preservation of its colonial architectural features, as expressed by the mixture of its Spanish and Indian styles. UNESCO named the historic center of Mompox as a World Heritage Site in 1995. Today, most of the colonial buildings are still used for their original purposes, which provides an excellent example of a Spanish colonial city. Of particular note is the wrought iron work decorating doors, railings and window grills along the streets, notably on Calle de la Albarrada, Calle Real del Medio and Calle de Atrás. Notable churches include Santa Bárbara (built 1613), San Agustín (built 1606), San Juan de Dios and Immaculate Conception. There is also a museum of colonial art which houses religious gold colonial masterpieces.

Music

Mompox is famous in Colombia as the home of the musician/singer Totó la Momposina and her band. Their music is a fusion of African and Spanish influences as well as the harmonies of the natives of the region, and is associated with Cumbia music.

References

External links

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