Santa Marta: 500 Years of Living History by the Sea

Today, July 29, 2025, Santa Marta celebrates half a millennium since its founding. A city that not only holds the title of Colombia’s oldest — and the second oldest in South America — but also proudly carries a legacy woven from history, resilience, cultural blending, and natural beauty.
A Port Born from Dreams and Tensions
Founded on July 29, 1525, by Spanish conquistador Rodrigo de Bastidas, Santa Marta became the gateway for Spanish colonization in the northern part of South America. Its name honors Saint Martha, whose Catholic feast day is celebrated on this same date.
Since then, it has witnessed the clash and fusion of cultures: the Tayrona Indigenous peoples with their ancestral wisdom; the European colonizers driven by conquest; and the enslaved African communities who brought with them their resilience, spirituality, and strength. From this complex mix, a unique city was born.
Land of Ancestors, Spirit of the Mountains
Beyond its historic center and iconic bay, Santa Marta is home to one of the continent’s most powerful spiritual systems: the Sierra Nevada — the sacred heart of the Indigenous Kogui, Wiwa, Arhuaco, and Kankuamo peoples, direct descendants of the Tayrona.
To them, Santa Marta is not just a city — it is part of the sacred balance of the universe.
This 500-year milestone is also an opportunity to honor them as guardians of the land — ancient peoples whose wisdom has endured five centuries of transformation, colonization, and neglect.
Cradle of Stories, Legacy of Liberators
Santa Marta was the final resting place of the Liberator Simón Bolívar, who died on December 17, 1830, at the Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino — now a national site of memory. His time in this land left an indelible mark, making Santa Marta a symbolic epicenter of South America’s fight for independence.
More Than Beaches: A City That Beats With Life
To speak of Santa Marta is, yes, to speak of its landscapes: Tayrona Park, El Rodadero, Taganga, and Minca.
But more than that, it’s to speak of its people: warm, resilient, joyful. Of its fishermen, artisans, cooks, musicians, tour guides, community leaders, scholars, and youth who fight for a fairer, more sustainable future.
Over these 500 years, Santa Marta has continually reinvented itself. Today, the city faces challenges such as climate change, urban growth, ecosystem protection, and preserving its identity. But it is also experiencing a cultural, tourism, and economic revival — powered by the creativity of its people.
A Celebration to Honor the Past and Embrace the Future
This anniversary is more than a historical commemoration. It’s a call to recognize the deep value of this land, to listen to its many voices, and to commit to a future where the ancestral, the natural, and the urban coexist in harmony.
From Tierra Querida, we celebrate Santa Marta with deep admiration — because 500 years don’t come every day, and because this city — with its burning sun, singing sea, and sacred mountain — will continue to inspire Colombia and the world.
Happy Birthday, Santa Marta!
May this new century find you more alive, more aware, and more loved than ever.

