Exploring the Afro-Caribbean culture and heritage in San Basilio de Palenque, Colombia.
San Basilio de Palenque, recognized as the first free town of African slaves in the Americas, holds a unique position in history and culture. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a "Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity," this village preserves a rich heritage that echoes through its streets and traditions.
During our time in Cartagena, the mention of San Basilio de Palenque initially caught me by surprise. It wasn’t a place I was aware of previous to this visit. The way it went is, while walking through the Plaza de Bolivar, I had a chance encounter with a local man who came up to me, put his arm next to mine and compared our skin colours. He then said to me "You are my sister, you are like Palenquera". I didn’t know what he was talking about seeing as it was my first day in Cartagena but I was immediately very intrigued.
Palenquera are the women that can be seen all around in the Cartagena old town adorned in colorful dresses. They symbolize the vibrant culture of this historic city.
He went on to quickly explain that the Palenquera, who can be found around the old town posing for photos with the fruit baskets came from a town known as San Basilio de Palenque.
It was a place we had to visit. The first free town in the Americas established by African slaves sounded like the kind of place that I could learn some history and get insight into what the real story was .
Fascinated by this information, I couldn't help but wonder if the tourists coming to Cartagena and taking this photos with the Palenquera knew their history. It wasn't after all something I had seen in the top 10 things to do in Cartagena guide.
Photo by Jeremy Bishop
San Basilio de Palenque is an easy and swift 1 hour drive from Cartagena. We got there in the late afternoon only to find out that the camp host we hoped to stay with was not in town for a few days. We spend sometime contemplating what to do before a man came over and knocked on the van window.
I rolled down the window and he introduced himself as Florentino, a local guide that could help us with a place to stay if we were interested. Without much of an option, Jeremy followed him alone to his house to checkout the space . A quiet parking spot right outside of his house ended up being sufficient for us.
This serendipitous meeting with Florentino ended up being a wonderful experience for us and we did not for a second regret this choice. Through his guidance, we embarked on a journey that delved deep into the heart of Palenque's heritage.
“ See you later” in Palenquero
Florentino was a local elder that you could tell people loved and respected. It could have been the fact that this is a small village but there, seemed to be a sense of community right away that was evidently amazing. Everyone he walked by waved or said hey to him. It seemed as though the residents regarded him as a revered elder.
The village has a population of 4500 residents and keeps growing.
With Florentino as our guide, we explored the village and got to experience its history unfolding before us. San Basilio de Palenque traces its roots to the 1600s, we learn about Benkos Bioho who was a prominent figure in the establishment of this town. While as a captured African slave working for the Spaniard settlers in Cartagena, Bioho and some 30 men escaped from their captives and ended up forming a community of Africans that were escaped slaves who later became freedom fighters.
Bioho would later on become regarded as the father of the Palenqueros. He signed an agreement with the Governor of Cartagena that San Basilio de Palenque with the escaped slaves could form their own territory but the Spanish in 1619 captured him and executed him in 1621.
His execution was carried out in public in Cartagena, the Spaniards viewed him as a threat to their rule and did not want to encourage his defiance.
The statue of Benkos Bioho stands out in the main square.
Bioho's legacy is marked by his resilience and defiance against oppression and is immortalized in the town's main square, where his statue stands tall.
What is obvious is the stubborn nature of the people to preserve their culture, so much so that San Basilio de Palenque was declared a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity site in 2005.
The resilience of the Palenqueros extends beyond history books; it permeates every aspect of their daily lives. The preservation of their language, Palenquero, passed down through generations, serves as a testament to their cultural tenacity. In fact this is the first language the children learn in school, followed by Spanish and then English.
Palenquero is a Creole language with influences from African languages, Portuguese and Spanish. Florentino explained that the African heritage of the residents in the town included Angola, Congo, Cameroon and Guinea Bissau.
The residents last names have been maintained depending on what country their ancestors were from.
Moreover, the absence of conventional law enforcement highlights the community's commitment to self-governance. This town does not have any National Guard or federal police and is run by the group known as Cimarrona Guard who work to protect the people.
This is a community that takes care of its own which is also evident in the way they strive to maintain their ancestral knowledge through the village elders engaging with the younger generations to pass on customs. Learning traditional dance, music, stories, traditional medical practices and language are just some of the few ways their culture and heritage is intentionally maintained.
Our continued exploration led us to witness the vibrant music scene of San Basilio de Palenque, a cradle of rhythms that resonate throughout Colombia. This town holds such a significance when it comes to influence in music all over Colombia. One that is obvious is Champeta.
We spent some time in a music studio playing and getting to know the instruments used in Palenquero music.
Walking around Cartagena I was in awe of all the African influence in the music. I remember stopping to listen to the music blaring from the homes on multiple occasions, I kept telling Jeremy that I felt like I was at home in Kenya. This wasn't the new hip African music, this was the old school Congolese or Cameroon music infused with Caribbean tones.
I just couldn't get over it. It was so vibrant, I loved everything about it.
Florentino taught us about Graciela Salgado, an important figure in San Basilio's music scene. She was prominent when it came to the tradition of 'Lumbalu' a funeral ritual that is practiced in the village. The ritual is deeply rooted in African traditions where she would be involved with following specific practices to honor the lives of the passed while respectfully mourning them for about 9 days.
This drum is used only during the ritual of Lumablu
We were able to go to a traditional house where the guide showed us what the set up of the traditional houses was. From the bedroom to the kitchen and outside patio where women made food, this was a wonderful part of the tour.
Our guide showed us around what a typical traditional house looked like
We watched them pound the maize into flour and the kids also got to do it. It was such a neat experience to have the kids get into it.
One thing that Florentino was really proud of showing us was the statue of Antonio Cervantes "Kid Pambele" the most prominent of all the great boxers that came from San Basilio de Palenque, in fact, this is well known fact around Colombia that there are lots of amazing boxing legends that hail from this town including Rodrigo Valdez and the Cardona brothers Ricardo and Prudencio.
With these legends, the town pulsates with a spirit of cultural pride.Florentino himself was also a boxer in his younger days.
Amidst the cultural immersion, we savored traditional cuisine and witnessed age-old practices, such as maize pounding and sweet-making. For our meal, we went to a private residence and after calling out to the owners, they welcomed us warmly. They were crowded around the television enjoying a game of football and were not ready for us but they quickly set up the tables and chairs and cooked us a wonderful meal typical to this area. Chicken with rice and plantain.
Afterwards, we went next door to sample some home made sweets typical to this area including alegria and conadas. Alegria is a very typical sweet made with pride by the Palenqueras. It is made from popcorn, anise, panela(unrefined sugar) and coconut flakes.
Conadas are made from coconut flakes with sugar and flavoured with pineapple, guava, or panela.
The Palenqueras hold the sweet making tradition tightly and is passed on down to generations.
At this point it felt as though every interaction, whether with elders sharing ancestral wisdom or children partaking in customs, reinforced the enduring spirit of San Basilio de Palenque.
As the tour drew to a close at sunset it felt as though the village came to life, with the residents coming out and gathering in the square, our kids joined the others children playing in the playground. Laughter and camaraderie filled the air. The elders set their rocking chairs on their porches and enjoyed the on goings of the town, waving at the anyone passing by. Jeremy and I stood around enjoying the townsmen playing dominos.
It was a poignant reminder of the strength found in unity and heritage.
Our time in San Basilio de Palenque left an indelible mark, a testament to the resilience of a community bound by history and tradition. As we bid farewell and embarked on our next adventure, the echoes of Palenque's spirit lingered, a reminder of the transformative power of cultural preservation.
We had a big drive ahead of us as we headed to Santa Marta to explore Tayrona national park. This was a place where multiple people told us that it was the most beautiful place in Colombia and we couldn't wait to explore it.
Essential practical tips for an enriching travel experience in San Basilio de Palenque:
These are some guidelines and recommendations that would help you plan your trip to San Basilio de Palenque.
How to get to Palenque.
The drive to the village is a very easy 1 hour drive from Cartagena on a well paved road. There is one toll as you get closer to the village and the tolls do not take credit cards so enough cash in different denominations is recommended.
Having our own transportation makes it very convenient to drive to the village however having been in Cartagena for over 2 weeks, I came to appreciate that there are many tours operators that will offer day trips to the town.
Walk around the old town in Cartagena and approach any of the tour operators, shop around for a deal because there are so many of them.
The closest airport is in Cartagena where most of the tourists would be arriving in Colombia.
There are also buses that go between the cities for a different kind of experience. Once in the town , it was very easy for Florentino to find us and approach us for a tour. The town is small and by asking in a shop, I can guarantee that someone will know a local guide.
Should you get a guide for San Basilio de Palenque?
Yes. We were able to gain immense knowledge of the place and the people simply by having a guide. Palenque is not a town like Cartagena where it's easy to just walk around and see many things or do many things without a guide. This is village where the culture and experience is amplified by having someone guide you through it so I highly recommend a guide.
There are what feels like hundreds of guides in Cartagena that will provide transportation to and from the village. Guided trips are also ideal because of access to the different museums and cultural houses that would not be possible without one. The guides also have an idea about the best times to visit when the village is more likely to have a musical performance. We were lucky to have a very local guide which made it feel very authentic.
His full name is Florentino Estrada and is well known in the village.
How much time should I spend in San Basilio de Palenque:
There are multiple day trips from Cartagena to the village and I think this will suffice. There are a few hotels and hostels as well as home stays in the village but I felt as though we got a good feel of the village by spending one day in it.
We left San Basilio de Palenque with a great appreciation for a culture that has continued to stubbornly maintain their traditions.
We had a long drive to go as we were headed to the Caribbean coast by visiting the great Tayrona National Park.
Youtube video
I've been experimenting with making video because I feel as though it gives a different alternative to reading the experience we had. This video was fun to make and edit, please leave me a comment on what you think.