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The Villa of Santa Cruz de Mompox was founded by Don Alonso de Heredia, Adelantado of the Government of Cartagena and brother of the founder of that same city, Pedro de Heredia, on May 3, 1537, after fighting a fierce and bloody battle with the Kimbay tribe, defeating Cacique Mompoj (identification in Malibu language) without mitigation. In the independence era, ´´Santa Cruz de´´ practically disappeared and became known as ´´MOMPOX´´ and thus appears in the documents of the President Governor of the State of Cartagena de Indias dated November 3, 1812. Since then in all official and notarial acts have been called Mompox or Mompos, both meanings being valid due to the language evolution.

The name of Mompox is due to an indigenous man who was a great chief named Mompoj, who had a settlement of his tribe where the city exists today. The tribes were formed through alliances, confederations subject to certain pacts, if not as vassals as allies and relatives they looked at the authority of the cacique Mompoj who at the time of the conquest ruled some fifty small tribes such as the Güitacas, Chilloas, Chimíes, Chicaguas , Jaguas, Malibúes, Kates, Kimbayes, Menchiquejos, Talahiguas and many more.

Chief Mompoj had his lieutenants, chiefs Zuzua and Mahamon, who were the most important, although there were others such as Zimiti, Zambe, Chilloa, Omigale and many others. The inhabitants of Mompox are descendants of the Malibu Indian civilization.

Differences about the foundation: There is a deep discussion about the foundation of Mompox, because Enrique Otero D`Costa in his article -Fundación de Mompox, in Boletin de antiguedades, Vol XXIII, 1936, pags, 216 and following- as well that Ernesto Gutiérrez de Piñeres -in his text the Mompox Foundation, published in 1964-, maintain that its real founder was Juan de Santa Cruz, at the dawn of the year 1540; Incidentally, the statement loses historical consistency since it is fully demonstrated that the Villa de Santa Cruz de Mompox was founded without fear of equivocation by Don Alonso de Heredia on May 3, 1537. Taken from: The province of La momposina depression a mechanism to get out of backwardness. Thesis. Ariel José Miranda Castillo.

Mompox was one of the first towns in the Kingdom of New Granada to proclaim absolute independence from Spain on August 6, 1810 under the slogan to be free or to die. The Liberator Simón Bolívar, after the disaster of the battle of Puerto Cabello, with 400 momposinos and the reinforcement of Venezuelans, undertakes the ´´Admirable Campaign´´ that culminates in Caracas on August 6, 1813. The support of the momposinos is fundamental so that Bolívar exclaims ´´If I owe my life to Caracas I owe Mompox the glory´´.

Mompox, the Courageous City also called the Cultured City, for its illustrious children, continues to await the historic day when the Colombian nation, in gratitude, contributes with great works for his feat and contribution to the heritage of Colombian history.

At that time, the Brazo de Mompox was the most important channel of the Magdalena River and the city became an important port of call for travelers and merchandise that went to the interior of the country.

The prosperity continued until the beginning of the 20th century when the accumulation of sediments on this arm of the river diverted traffic towards the Brazo de Loba that passes through Magangué, and the Brazo de Mompox became stagnant water.





Santa Cruz de Mompox, Mompox or Mompós, is a municipality in Colombia, in the department of Bolívar that has preserved its colonial character. It limits with the municipalities of Pinillos and San Fernando. Its municipal seat is 248 kilometers from Cartagena.

It was for a long time an important port due to its privileged location on the commercial route in the 18th century until the Magdalena River changed course and Mompox was isolated, losing its importance as a river port.



The fact of being isolated for a long time has allowed the colonial city to remain almost intact to this day.



The urban development of the city always revolved around the different churches, and in them the skill and creativity of the builders were reflected with remarkable mastery.



Nowhere else in New Granada is such originality manifested in forms and so much detachment from established canons as in the churches of Mompox.



Mompox is the second religious capital of Colombia after Popayán. Both cities are very visited in the Easter season, for their religious acts in the streets.



Mompox is a magical town, an island in the middle of the Magdalena River that expels stories, romanticism and nostalgia from all its corners, especially along Real del Medio street, the most important of all its streets and in which they are concentrated many of the architectural sites that attract the most attention.

In colonial times, the population was an important commercial center thanks to the navigability of the Magdalena River and its condition of being away from the Caribbean Sea and keeping itself safe from attacks by pirates and corsairs. Thus, while in Cartagena the military constructions reflected in the bastions and walls grew, in Mompox a classic and religious architecture of Sevillian style flourished that today remains as evidence of the good times.

In Mompox, many powerful people protected their capital and made important investments, and due to those same winds of progress, the transport of gold through the Magdalena and its landing in the hands of the artisans of Mompox took place. In this way, the prestige of the art of goldsmithing began.

For a long time Mompox was a strategic place, in the middle of the powers of Santa Fe de Bogotá in the center of the country and Cartagena de Indias on the shores of the ocean.

In the late eighteenth century Mompox was one of the most important towns in the New Kingdom of Granada, and its boom continued until the nineteenth century when in 1810 it declared its absolute independence from Spain, a fact that earned it the title of the brave.

The Momposina life of those times was one of strength and progress, but at the peak of the bonanza everything began to change due to nature, and the erosion and sedimentation that affected the channel of the Magdalena River, a phenomenon that increased the flow of the arm of She-wolf and the one on Mompox's arm decreased. Then the commercial and social activity of the town was reduced, resulting in the exodus of its inhabitants to other regions.

The population was left as an island enclosed by the arms of Loba and Mompox, isolated and isolated, with difficult access. Suddenly there lies one of the reasons why Mompox is said to be a place where time has stopped. But it is also from this isolated circumstance that the attractions and curiosity flow to get to know the island and surrender to its places.

The municipal economy revolves around fishing, goldsmithing and tourism, which has not been fully developed, especially in tourism, just to mention that the best hotel is 3 stars, and the others are family houses, that do not provide a tourist accommodation. Tourism has been given thanks to the state in which part of the municipality is located, since some buildings and streets seem to have stopped in the 18th century; Furthermore, Mompox has been declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1995.

How to get to Mompox

Although the Button de Leyva bridge that connects Mompox with the municipality of El Banco (Magdalena) is already in operation, being the only land access route to the island, the arrival from Cartagena is more common. The route leaves from this capital, passes through Magangué and Yatí (Bolívar) where you take the ferry that transports the Magdalena River to the place known as La Bodega, here is the road to Mompox that filters through different crops and cattle ranches.







Places of interest



Colonial architecture, in a part of the town;

Swamps;

Churches;

Botanical Garden;

Museum of Religious Art;

Parks and squares

From the religious architecture the churches of Santo Domingo, San Juan de Dios, San Agustín and Santa Bárbara stand out, this, the enclosure for whose history and structure the Momposinos profess special veneration. The temple is located on La Albarrada street, parallel to the river and on which the Casa 1734 and the Portales de la Marquesa are also located.

In Calle Real del Medio you can see the Casa de la Cultura, the Bolívar and Santander parks, the Casa del Te Deum, the Palace of Justice and the Museum of Religious Art, among other enclosures, built in wall, clay tiles and iron windows with their protuberances for shelves, bars, and small panels.

Through other streets such as Atrás you can reach the church of Santo Domingo and the town's cemetery, a very well preserved place where the memory of General Hermógenes Maza and Candelario Obeso, the famous black poet and immortal by Popular songs from my land and Canción der bogá absent.

Mompox at Easter

A tour of Mompox is also a review of the history and the fervent Holy Week celebrations that still continue and begin with the processions of the week following Ash Wednesday. The momposinos are friendly and cheerful, but they retain their ascetic character around the Major Week celebrations, when tourists are seen the most on the island.

But all the time going to Mompox is a trip that causes fascination because of how much story is heard, because of its old buildings and many ramshackle ones or because of the gatherings of intellectuals and historians who do not stop discerning about the national events or the history of the town.

To buy at Mompox

When it comes to buying valuable gold pieces, Mompox jewelers are internationally famous for their wonderful filigree art. Momposino furniture such as the traditional rocking chairs are also highly requested by visitors, while delicious edibles such as layer cheese or Doña Ada's lemon sweet, are a special accompaniment for tours of the town.

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