Casting A Spell

Assouline's latest release captures the essence of the beautiful historic city of Cartagena

- Kristina Isabel Oviedo

There is more to Colombia than coffee beans and emeralds. The South American country is distinguished for its sprawling beaches with coastlines touching the Caribbean Sea in the North and the Pacific Ocean in the West. Close to the equator, it is blessed with the golden sun and a wide variety of exotic foods. But one of the country's distinct features is a city in its northern coast called Cartagena.

Famed international publishing company Assouline dedicates its recent book, Cartagena Grace, to this Colombian city's timeless beauty. Its 312 pages holds 200 breath-taking images; written testimonies from the entrepreneur and founder of Moda Operandi, Lauren Santo Domingo, and the celebrated Colombian fashion designer Johanna Ortiz; and quotes from other Colombians, native Cartageneros and several prominent artists who share the same admiration for the city.

Cartagena de Indias was founded in 1533 by Pedro de Heredia and played a massive role in the Spanish empire as the centre for economic activities.

Unfortunately, its renowned wealth and abundance also attracted pirates, prompting the city to build an 11-kilometre defensive wall to specifically protect one of the first naval bases in Spain. "The spirit of Blas de Lazo, the one-armed, one-eyed, one-legged Spanish commander who won this battle, still roams the streets," writes Ortiz. Because it was the country's first line of defence against the pirates, Cartagena has earned its well deserved name, La Heroica. The historian Rodolfo Segovia also comments on the current Unesco World Heritage site: "There are several lovely colonial towns in the Americas, but almost none with imposing walls and castles by the sea, almost intact."