Cartagena’s History Museum houses exhibits about the rich heritage of Colombia’s most popular tourism destination. But the part that seems to get the most attention is the Palacio de la Inquisición, which now houses a museum of the Inquisition. This violent phase of Roman Catholic history tried supposed heretics within the church’s own justice system, and was known for the extreme methods of torture used to extract confessions and conversions from the accused.
The beautiful building used for this purpose in Cartagena dates to 1610, and sits conveniently near the city’s cathedral. Cartagena, in fact, was one of three hubs in Latin America for the Inquisition. Today, the grand structure sits as a quiet reminder of its unfortunate past — and the many torture devices on exhibit serve as very visual souvenirs. This video highlights just a few.
For more information about Cartagena and Colombia, you can check out my complete blog postings and also the articles on the main site, LatinFlyer.com. You should also check out Colombia’s official tourism site.
Please be sure to share your own personal stories, recommendations and advice about Cartagena as well. And there is still more video to come from my recent visit to Cartagena, Colombia — including a roundup of great new hotels, tasty dining options, and a very bizarre shark-feeding session on the coast of one of the Rosario Islands. Stay tuned!
VIDEO TOUR: Torture Devices at Cartagena’s Inquisition Museum
Hold still: The heretic’s fork
Category: travel videos