Holiday

Today, the people of Colombia celebrate Independence of the City of Cartagena Day. The holiday commemorates November 11th 1811 when Cartagena became the first Colombian city to declare independence from the Spanish.

While celebrations focus on the city of Cartagena, this is a national holiday as the independence of Cartagena is seen as a key event in the struggle for freedom in Colombia and other parts of Latin America.

The Spanish first arrived in Colombia in 1499, founding the first permanent settlement in 1510. The city of Cartagena was founded on June 1st 1533, and named after Cartagena in Spain.

Due to its location, the city grew to be one of the most important cities in the Spanish Colonies with large political power and the location of the Viceroys.

From the late eighteenth century, resentment in the colonies had been growing as the Spanish insisted that the colonies could only trade with Spain, limiting their growth and also as the Spanish support for the Americans in the US war of independence increased taxation.

The desire for independence was ignited by an uprising in Bogota in 1810 and on November 11th 1811 Cartagena declared its independence from Spain. Before independence was gained in 1819, Cartagena was reclaimed by the Spanish and royalist forces, but its initial claim of independence remains is viewed as an important step towards the independence of Colombia.

Florida construction…

Today is the birthday, in 1953, of Andrew Ranken, drummer from Irish-British Celtic punk band The Pogues who scored the 1987 UK No.8 single ‘The Irish Rover’. Here are The Pogues with a kind of Christmas song… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9jbdgZidu8