Fruits of work and tradition

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BP-Palenque

With the start of a new day in Cartagena, it is common to see ‘Palenqueras’ strolling the beaches of Bocagrande with bowls brimming with fresh fruit. The descendants of African slaves who arrived in Cartagena, the peoples of Palenque escaped their Spanish captors and founded San Basilio de Palenque in the fields south of the colonial port. Their language ‘Palenquero’ can trace its origins to the kikongo of the Congo and this isolated community of 4,000 has survived with its own cultural identity, and what is believed to be the only Spanish-based Creole language in the Americas. Although historical records are scarce, Palenque is believed to have been settled as a free town after Benkos Biohó, a 17th-century African resistance fighter led a revolt against the Spaniards.Over the centuries San Basilio de Palenque stayed “fortified” thanks to a rich musical and sporting legacy. From this peaceful farming community the town’s women take their bus journey to Cartagena to sell the fruits of hard work and tradition.

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