Mompox

About

Mompox was founded by the Spanish in 1540 as an important trading post on the Magdalena river - the main artery connecting the Caribbean coast to the centre of the country. The town’s strategic location also proved a safe place for the Spanish to stockpile gold. Centuries of prosperity came to an end in the late 19th century when the Magdalena River silted up, and traders began to go elsewhere. Despite being named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995, Mompox was only accessible by ferry until 2015 when the first bridge was built. The town’s isolation left it frozen in time, and today is considered one of the best examples of a Spanish colonial settlement left in the Americas. Walking among the historic homes and seven colorful churches, it’s easy to see why Gabriel Garcia Marquez used it for the basis of “Macondo” in “One Hundred Years Of Solitude”.