Cartagena

Cartagena was once one of the most wealthy and important cities in the whole of Iberia. It was founded in 228 BC by the Phoenicians. These remarkable traders and travellers are also known to posterity as the Canaanites. It was their land that God promised to the descendants of Abraham; thus, they are the bad guys throughout the old testament.

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From their homeland in Palestine the Phoenicians sailed all over the Mediterranean and up the Atlantic coast of Iberia. Historians believe that they journeyed north to Britain, and they are even credited with having sailed around Africa. These remarkable people founded colonies at a number of strategic places, including Cadiz (Spain) and Carthage (Africa). When their homeland was over-run by the Babylonians, their colonies were all that remained to them. Since Carthage was the biggest of the colonies it quickly assumed control of the others - and thus, from this time, the Phoenicians are also known as the Carthaginians.

The Carthaginians had already been trading with Iberia for hundreds of years before they decided to expand their rule over the territory. Having formed an alliance with a local tribe they took over an existing settlement, called Mastia, and founded Quart Hadash - or New City. Evidently, they had great things in mind - indeed, it is thought that they planned to conquer the whole of Iberia - but it was not to be. A power struggle with Rome led to the complete destruction of the entire Carthaginian empire and eventually led to the annihilation of Carthage itself. Quart Hadst survived as Carthago Nova - or New Carthage - and it is from this Latin version of the name that the modern one is derived. The old town of Cartagena is built over the remains of the Phoenician and Roman settlements.

In the late 19th century Cartagena enjoyed a period of great economic prosperity. The adjacent hills of the Sierra Nevada, long known for their rich mineral resources, were suddenly subject to renewed interest; modern mining methods had made their treasure of silver and lead far more accessible. Many local landowners got rich during this boom, and the streets of Cartagena are ample witness to this fact. Walking around the old quarter one discovers grand Modernist style mansions at every turn.


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