Vibrant women from San Basilio de Palenque sell fruit to tourists. Photo credit: Kimkim.com
The first free African village in the Americas is San
Basilio de Palenque, which is situated southeast of Cartagena, Colombia, in the
foothills of the Montes de María. Benkos Biohó, an African prince from the
Bijagó Islands, currently Guinea-Bissau, who was taken prisoner and sold into
slavery in 1596 before fleeing Cartagena in 1599, established the colony in the
early 17th century.
Growing through resistance and strategic planning, this
community became a haven for runaway slaves. It was renowned for its military
might and intelligence network, which enabled more escapes. Despite multiple
Spanish military expeditions and attempts to subdue the community, the
Palenqueros successfully resisted colonial forces for decades.
The settlement is now a small town. Palenque, which means
"walled city," and the town is home to about 4,000 inhabitants. The
new language of the Palenqueros was created by combining Spanish and the native
Indian language with the Bantu language of Africa. However, the descendants of Benkos
Biohó are proud of their native tongue.
The colorful ladies of San Basilio de Palenque, known as
palenqueras, are Afro-Colombian women renowned for their vibrant traditional
attire and role as vendors in Cartagena and other nearby cities. The origins of
these colorful women may be traced back to the village of Palenque, where they
wait for tourists to walk by while wearing bright red, yellow, blue, and green
costumes embellished with fruit baskets.
Their presence in Cartagena dates back centuries, when they
began traveling from their village to sell fruits and vegetables in the city’s
markets, forming a vital economic link between the rural community and the
urban center. Today, while many no longer focus solely on selling fruit, they
continue to earn income by posing for tourists and photographers.
Their clothing, rich in African ancestry and representing
tenacity, is a living homage to their ancestors' struggle for freedom, as well
as a cultural statement. The Palenqueras are living representations of
Afro-Colombian heritage, cultural pride, and unwavering resilience, not just
tourist destinations and surviving descendants of enslaved people.
Palenque is the birthplace of Colombia's best boxers,
musicians, and actresses. Antonio Cervantes, a two-time world middleweight
boxing champion, and actor Evaristo Marquez, who co-starred with Marlon Brando
in the film Burn, were born there. It also gave rise to the champeta musical
style, which is popular in Colombia and throughout Latin America.
Today, San Basilio de Palenque remains the only surviving
palenque in Colombia, preserving its unique cultural heritage, including the
Palenquero language, a Spanish-based creole influenced by Kikongo and
Portuguese, which fewer than half of the 3,500 residents still speak.
Additionally, the community upholds African-inspired customs
like champeta music, drumming, and the lumbalú death rite. The settlement was
named a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO
in 2005.
Residents cast ballots in a referendum on November 30, 2025, to decide whether to become an independent municipality. This decision indicates continuous attempts to assert cultural identity and sovereignty.