Santa Cruz de Mompox World Heritage Site

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Santa Cruz de Mompox, or simply Mompox, is a town on an island in the Magdalena River, in the Bolívar Department of Colombia.

Santa Cruz de Mompox was founded by Don Alonso de Heredia in 1537, to be a safe port on the river Magdalena. It prospered as a trading outpost cashing in on gold that was transported there, resulting in the establishment of a royal mint and gold workshops. The town began a slow decline by the 19th century, but the death kneel came in the early 20th century, when the river Magdalena began to shift its course, causing the port of Santa Cruz de Mompox to silt up.

Today the colonial architecture of Mompox can still be appreciated. In fact, the town has become a major tourist attraction, especially after it was inscribed as a World Heritage Site during the 19th session of the World Heritage Committee in Berlin, Germany, on 4-9 December, 1995. The core zone covers an area of 458 hectares surrounded by a 632-hectare buffer zone.

Photos of Historic Centre of Santa Cruz de Mompox

Santa Cruz de Mompox, Colombia
Author: O--o (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)

World Heritage Site Inscription Details

Location: N 9 14 W 74 26 in Bolívar Department
Inscription Year: 1995
Type of Site: Cultural
Inscription Criteria: IV, V

Location Map of Historic Centre of Santa Cruz de Mompox

View Santa Cruz de Mompox, Colombia in a larger map

Visiting Historic Centre of Santa Cruz de Mompox

You can take a bus from most of the major Colombian towns such as Medellin, Cartagena or Bogotá.

When you arrived in Mompox, you can explore on foot or take the motorcycle-taxi. There are several beautiful churches in Mompox, the most famous of which is Iglesia de Santa Barbara. However, most of the churches in Mompox are only open during mass, so that's the only time to view their interior. Their outside façade is best seen in the morning, with sunlight shining on them.

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