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Cereté is an inland city in Colombia’s Caribbean region, a short drive north of Montería. There’s no reason for tourists to visit. We passed through Cereté to visit a friend.
History
Cereté was founded as a settlement on April 21, 1721, by a group of Jesuit missionaries. It was officially established in 1740 by Spanish military officer Juan de Torrezar Díaz Pimienta, who later became governor of Cartagena and viceroy of Nueva Granada. The main industries are livestock and agriculture, with cotton as the major crop.
Plaza
We started in the main plaza, which was recently renovated. On one end is the Church of St. Anthony of Padua (Iglesia de San Antonio de Padua). The church was closed during our short stay in town.
Across the plaza is a former public school that was built in 1929. It had the most character out of all the buildings we saw in town.
To the right of the school is the town hall (Alcaldía), which had a large mural painted on the wall. It was dedicated to national and international female poets, and included excerpts of poems.
Iguana Park
A few blocks west of the plaza, we stopped by Iguana Park (Parque de las Iguanas). The name is misleading, and we didn’t see a single iguana. There were a few young trees and benches, along with a couple murals on side walls. There’s also a bridge over a small river. That’s it.
