Travel Guide Mompox

Gabriel García Márquez once said: " Mompox no existe, a veces soñamos con ella, pero no existe" ("Mompox does not exist, sometimes we dream about it, but it does not exist"). It must be said that nothing disturbs the tranquility of its 45,000 inhabitants, since its activity as a river port ceased when the riverbed was diverted, isolating this colonial jewel. Mompox is located 290 km south of Cartagena. The city was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. Water is omnipresent in Mompox. The city is bathed by the famous Magdalena River, which splits into three arms: Loba, Mompox and Chicagua. Some poetic minds call Mompox an amphibious city It is the second city in Colombia, after Popayan, where the Holy Week is celebrated with the most fervor. The carnivals are well known: Los Collongos, Las Cucambas, Las Rezanderas, Los Negritos, El Ciempiés, La Conquista, etc., all festivities that attest to a glorious past: Mompox was a crossroads on the Magdalena River, and all travelers had to pass through it between the coast and Bogotá. The Santísimo Cristo festival on September 14, the All Saints' Day or the Cattle and Horse Fair in August, and the Jazz Festival in September or October are all occasions to discover this rich folkloric heritage.Mompox or Mompós? Both versions can be found on maps, in newspapers or in popular speech. The name Mompox comes from Mompoj, the name of the indigenous cacique who lived on the site of the current city. The name given by the Spaniards when the city was founded was Santa Cruz de Mompox. At the time of the independence, the Santa Cruz disappeared and the name Mompós was used more and more. In 1991, with the new constitution, the city officially took back the name of Santa Cruz de Mompox, but Colombians continue to use Mompox and Mompós indistinctly...