San Basilio De Palenque: Colombia’s All Black City

The village of Palenque de San Basilio is the first ‘free town’ for Africans in the Americas. It has a population of about 3,500 inhabitants.

It is located in the foothills of the Montes de María, southeast of the regional capital, Cartagena.

The word “palenque” means “walled city.”. Palenque de San Basilio is one of many walled communities that were founded by escaped slaves as a refuge in the seventeenth century.

Of the many palenques of escaped enslaved Africans that existed previously, San Basilio is the only one that survives. Many of the oral and musical traditions in Palenque are rooted in the African past.

It is inhabited mainly by Afro-Colombians. San Basilio de Palenque, also known as Palenke, holds a significant place in the annals of African diasporic history.

Savouring Foods

In Cartagena, Colombia, you’ll find colourful palenqueras selling traditional foods from baskets on their heads. They offer yummy treats and dishes made from recipes that have been passed down for centuries.

These women love to share their food and invite everyone to “come and eat”!

Palenque’s outstanding cooking expertise

Palenque cooking was honoured globally at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in Beijing, China, in 2014.

A cookbook from San Basilio de Palenque called Kumina ri Palenge pa tó paraje won the award. The book, written in the local language, shared traditional recipes from 38 community members. It beat out 15,000 other cookbooks from around the world.

Palenque’s unique language

African slaves from different cultures were mixed together to stop them from communicating. But they created a new language, Palenque, by mixing words from different languages.

Today, Palenque is only spoken in San Basilio town in Colombia and is an important part of the country’s culture.

History of San Basilio de Palenque

The Spanish introduced enslaved Africans to South America through the Magdalena River Valley.

The river’s mouth is close to the significant port of Cartagena de Indias, where ships carrying Africans arrived.

Some Africans escaped the harsh conditions of slavery and established Palenque de San Basilio, a town near Cartagena.

This community was founded in 1619 by a group of brave individuals. Led by Domingo Biohó, they fled into the forests, seeking freedom.

Domingo Biohó, also known as King Benkos, successfully led his group of approximately 30 runaways in defeating attempts to subdue them.

His leadership and determination inspired others to join him. As a result, his palenque of San Basilio attracted large numbers of runaways.

The colonial authorities eventually suppressed another rebellion in 1696, and further conflicts occurred between 1713 and 1717. Despite these challenges, the palenque of San Basilio persisted.

The Spanish ultimately agreed to peace terms with the community. In 1772, the Spanish officially recognised the palenque of San Basilio as part of the Mahates district.

This acknowledgement came with the condition that the community would no longer accept additional runaways.

This marked a significant turning point in the history of Palenque de San Basilio.