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The historic town center of Mompox contains several points of interest. We took two days to explore this Colombian Heritage Town (Pueblo Patrimonio) and UNESCO World Heritage site. This entry includes all the sites away from the Magdalena River in the center of town, except the churches.
Calle del Medio
Most of the points of interest lie along Calle del Medio, which is a block from the Albarrada and the river. It’s a busy street that sees lots of action in a few parts. Motorcycles zoom by while locals go shopping. In other sections, it’s much quieter and more residential.
Hospital San Juan de Dios
Starting from north to south, the first point of interest we passed was the Hospital San Juan de Dios. Along with the church next door, the hospital was founded in 1550. In colonial times, it was funded by a tax on each boat that passed by Mompox along the river. It’s considered to be the oldest hospital in the Americas still operating in its original building.
House of the Apostles
Just further south is the House of the Apostles (Casa de los Apóstoles). It was once the mansion of a wealthy shipping family. Inside are images of the 12 apostles and Jesus at the Last Supper. The house was closed when we walked by.
Plaza de la Libertad
On the next block is Plaza de la Libertad. On August 6, 1810, citizens of Mompox met in the plaza to declare independence from Spain.
In the center is a monument dedicated to the independence movement. It contains a quote by Simón Bolívar on one side and is topped by a woman wielding a sword.
Palace of San Carlos
The large building on the west end of the plaza is the Palace of San Carlos (Palacio de San Carlos). It was completed in 1660 by the Jesuits and housed a convent as well as the town’s first secondary school. The Jesuits were expelled from the country on February 27, 1767, and the building ceased to be a convent and school. It now serves as the Municipal Palace (Palacio Municipal). Mompox’s UNESCO designation can be found on one of the outer walls.
Cabildo
A block east of Plaza de la Libertad towards the river is the Cabildo, or Ayuntamiento (Town Council). During colonial times, it contained the mayor’s office, notary office, a meeting room, and dungeons. On August 6, 1810, after the cry for independence in the plaza, town officials met there and signed the Act of Absolute Independence from Spain. The cry “be free or die” (“ser libres o morir”) was first heard there. The building is now known as the Municipality House (Casa de la Municipalidad).
Parque de Bolívar
Walking back south down Calle del Medio for another block is Parque de Bolívar. It’s a lively plaza full of vendors selling street food, used books, and other goods. A statue of Bolívar sits in the center.
Hostal Doña Manuela
A half block away is Hostal Doña Manuela. It’s a 17th century mansion once owned by Pedro Martínez de Pinillos and his wife, Manuela Tomasa de Nájera. It contains a restaurant, hotel, swimming pool, and a beautiful interior garden. Above the door is an inscription in Latin: TE DEUM LAUDAMUS TE DOMINUM (We praise you our Lord). Apparently the hotel offers tours each afternoon, but we weren’t allowed to walk around on our own.
Palace of Justice
Next door is the Palace of Justice (Palacio de Justicia). I couldn’t find any useful information about it.
Cultural Museum of Religious Art
At the end of the block is the Cultural Museum of Religious Art (Museo Cultural de Arte Religioso), which was founded on July 30, 1990. It occupies the former home of the Gutiérrez de Piñeres family and is where Simón Bolívar stayed on five of his eight visits to Mompox. The museum displays gold and silver jewelry from the 16th to 18th centuries as well as 17th century oil paintings of the Holy Family and religious objects used during Holy Week. Admission is COP$10,000 per person (as of May 2023) and photography is forbidden inside. We decided not to visit.
Cultural Center
One more block south, across from the Church of San Agustín, is the Cultural Center (Casa de la Cultura). The building was the birthplace of Juan del Corral (1778-1814), a governor of Antioquia. He proposed the freedom of child slaves, which was enacted a few weeks before his death. We visited the Cultural Center and spent about a half hour there.
House of Remembrance
The final building on Calle del Medio we stopped by was the House of Remembrance (Casa del Recuerdo). It was built between 1806 and 1809 by Pantaleón Germán de Ribón y Segura, a hero of Colombian independence. He was executed in Cartagena on February 24, 1816. The house now functions as a nursing home.
Murals on Calle de Atrás
Wandering along the next street away from the river, Calle de Atrás, we noticed a few interesting murals. One was a mosaic and the other is a painting. Both are dedicated to the annual jazz festival that takes place in Mompox every October.
Pinillos College
Between the two murals is a large school building, Pinillos College (Colegio Pinillos). It was founded by Pedro Martínez de Pinillos as the Universal School of St. Peter the Apostle at the Palace of San Carlos on August 29, 1809. Pinillos was born in Torrecilla de los Cameros, Spain, on January 18, 1748, and arrived in Mompox in 1769.
Construction on the building began in 1794 and was completed in 1809. Classes in philosophy, Latin, theology, medicine, and painting were taught. Simón Bolívar stayed there on his final two visits to Mompox – August 14, 1827, and May 18, 1830. An ordinance on November 19, 1853, changed the name of the school to honor its founder.
Botanical Garden
Finally, a few blocks west of Plaza Santa Bárbara, we tried to visit the El Cuchubo Botanical Garden (Jardín Botánico El Cuchubo). The garden was founded by Carlos Pontón Rangel (1918-1991), a self-taught botanist who became a professor at the University of Córdoba in Montería. Apparently, there are over 1,000 species of plants in the garden collected from around world and it’s visited by university students from all over Colombia. When we arrived, we found the doors closed and no indication it was actually a botanical garden. We did manage to peek through the fence, however.
