Cartagena de Indias: Street Life in Plaza Trinidad

El Portal de los Dulces

Just outside the main seventeenth-century fortifications of this mighty city lies the walled suburb of Getsemani, featured by Gabriel Garcia Marquez in his novella Of Love and Other Demons. Even four hundred years ago it was the edgy, alternative and slightly down-at-heel side of town, and nowadays it has the perfect counterpoint of mood to the smart, picture-postcard perfection of the bougainvillea-clad balconies of El Centro and the single-storey central courtyard mansions of San Diego. But the rejas of the windows which reveal the semi-open air life of the homes, shops and hotels are just the same in Getsemani as they are in the historical heart, minus the manicured restorations. But money is pouring into Getsemani rapidly, and the boutique hotels seem to be replacing the brothels. What would Gabo think? Well, one place we keep returning to is the Portal de los Dulces, a significant location in his Love in the Time of Cholera and suddenly the whole world of Magical Realism has come to life. The writers of the Latin American Boom didn’t need to invent Magical Realism at all: it’s simply the wonder of street life in this compelling city. And at the Portal de los Dulces, the shredded shards of coconut ossified in condensed milk provide the quintessential taste of the Spanish Main. Yum…
We’re living in Getsemani this week, and just a short stroll down the Calle Guerrero leads us to the Plaza Trinidad and the fortress-like, unrestored church of the same name. After dark we stumbled upon a massive street party here: countless stalls of hot food being prepared, tropical fruit juice stands, hawkers, loud salsa music, crowds milling around laughing, dancing, feasting, children playing. In fact, the entire neighbourhood had left the confines of the home, and was continuing family life out here in the open air. Grandmothers held court on plastic chairs, whilst preened teenagers chatted in groups, dancing and swaying to the beat. The population here runs from black to mulatto and from mestizo to creolle, with every genetic blending in between, with each person exhibiting their own distinct beauty. And the women proceed around the square gradually, in an elegant swaying motion, like silent music. And this street party we have found, can you guess the best bit? Yes, that’s right, of course. It happens every single day…