Santa Marta

Liberator Simón Bolívar passed away in the city of Santa Marta. His last months were recreated by Gabriel García Márquez in his novel El general en su laberinto (1989) [The General in His Labyrinth].

Aside from being the capital of the department of Magdalena, the land of Aracataca, Ciénaga, the Banana Zone, and the universal Macondo of Cien años de soledad [One Hundred Years of Solitude], Santa Marta was the Caribbean city where Liberator Simón Bolívar passed away. His last months were recreated by Gabriel García Márquez in his novel El general en su laberinto (1989) [The General in His Labyrinth].

The Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino [San Pedro Alejandrino country house] was a hacienda built in the 18th century. Liberator Simón Bolívar spent his last days there before his death on December 17, 1830.

San Pedro Alejandrino is located in the Mamatoco district of the city of Santa Marta, in the department of Magdalena and is considered a sanctuary of the fatherland. A 17th century hacienda devoted to the production of rum, honey, and panela (unrefined cane sugar) is also located here.

The Liberator arrived on December 6, 1830, at the hacienda offered for his lodging by Don Joaquín de Mier. Bolívar had planned to travel to Jamaica and then to Europe, but the state of his illness prevented the trip.

Consult the complete texts on Santa Marta in Las rutas de García Márquez guide, available at the following bookshops: Librería Nacional in Cartagena and Barranquilla and Librería Ábaco in Cartagena.