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La Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino is a popular place to visit in Santa Marta, just a 15 minute taxi ride from the city center. It’s a peaceful green area tucked away within the sprawl of the modern city, but you wouldn’t know it by being there.
La Quinta de San Pedro not only has the city’s botanical gardens, but it is also very historically significant to nearly all of Latin America. The 17th century home on the grounds is where Simón Bolívar, liberator of Colombia, Panama, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia, died in 1830.
Admission
La Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino is open at 9AM daily. Admission is COP$25,000 for foreign adults (as of January 2024). Guided tours are offered in English and Spanish for tips. Check the official website (in Spanish) for more information. A taxi is the easiest way to get there.
Botanical Garden
After entering, the first things you will see are the many trees and plants on the grounds and a small bridge that Bolívar crossed when he arrived at the house. Many of the trees are labeled in Spanish and English with their origin.
The most impressive is a giant fig tree from Asia. Its branches sprawl across the footpaths and strangle other trees to make them all look like one giant tree with several trunks.
Mill and Distillery
Next, you will come to the mill and the distillery. They don’t leave much to the imagination and are not in great condition.
Home
The actual home where Bolívar died is next to the mill. It has a beautifully manicured courtyard with palm trees and plants.
The interior contains rooms with authentic furniture, including the bed where Bolívar died. Some of the rooms contain art and artifacts about the life of El Libertador. One room contains a life sized mold of him lying in state, constructed using his death mask. It’s forbidden to take photos inside the rooms.
Mural
A large mural by Peruvian artist Mauro Rodriguez sits on the grounds. It explains the life and death of Bolívar and the struggle for independence. It was created in 1988.
Altar of the Fatherland
The most prominent building on the site is the Altar of the Fatherland (Altar de la Patria), built in 1930. It’s a pantheon that pays tribute to Bolívar. The exterior panel shows a relief from the scene of his deathbed.
There’s an incredible monument inside, depicting Bolívar in a god-like manner with two angels at either side.
The front pathway leading up to the Altar of the Fatherland is the Plaza of the Flags (Plaza de las Banderas). It’s flanked by flags from every country in the Americas, making for a dramatic scene.
Bolivarian Museum
The Bolivarian Museum (Museo Bolivariano) is near the Altar of the Fatherland. It contains several works of modern art and sculpture, along with an outdoor amphitheater, the Joaquín de Mier y Benítez Theatre (Teatro Joaquín de Mier y Benítez).
