The Cultural Space of Palenque de San Basilio encompasses social, medical and religious practices as well as musical and oral traditions, many of which have African roots. The social organization of the community is based on family networks and age groups called ma kuagro.

What does the culture of Palenque de San Basilio reflect?

The Cultural Space of Palenque de San Basilio encompasses social, medical and religious practices as well as musical and oral traditions, many of which have African roots. The social organization of the community is based on family networks and age groups called ma kuagro.

What is special about San Basilio de Palenque?

The first ‘free town’ in the Americas, Palenque founded by those who fled a life of slavery in colonial times, has been preserved intact in Colombia. It’s a unique place, famous for its culture, language, gastronomy and, of course, its history.

Why was the village of San Basilio de Palenque settled?

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

How many people live in San Basilio de Palenque?

about 3,500 inhabitants
The village of Palenque de San Basilio has a population of about 3,500 inhabitants and is located in the foothills of the Montes de María, southeast of the regional capital, Cartagena.

What language is spoken in Palenque?

Palenquero (sometimes spelled Palenkero) or Palenque (Palenquero: Lengua) is a Spanish-based creole language spoken in Colombia. It is believed to be a mixture of Kikongo (a language spoken in central Africa in the current countries of Congo, DRC, Gabon, and Angola, former member states of Kongo) and Spanish.

What does Palenque mean in Spanish?

Palenque meaning (place) Village in N Chiapas state, Mexico: site of ancient Mayan ruins.

Who created the Palenque?

Benkos Biohó
Palenque was founded in the 16th century – the exact date remains unknown – by Benkos Biohó, a former African king from either the Democratic Republic of Congo or Angola, who was sold into slavery and escaped the slave port of Cartagena in 1599.

What does the word Palenque mean?

Palenke references the Spanish word “palenque”, as a platform, ring, arena or the like, used for different forms of entertainment, surrounded by seats for spectators and made with posts or stakes. Other meanings of Palenque or Palenke are: An ancient Mayan city, located in modern-day Chiapas, Mexico.

Why is palenque important?

Palenque is also famous for its decorative stucco sculpture and low-relief carvings which present some of the most naturalistic portraits in Maya art. Also of note are the many palaces with wide courtyards, ornamental fountains, and artificial pools dotted around the city.

Who lived in palenque?

Maya
The Maya city of Palenque was once an important political center, which flourished between 226 and 799 CE and was later abandoned around 900 CE. The surrounding jungle overtook the city, which lay buried and hidden until the 1700s when local Maya told a Spanish priest of its existence.

When was San Basilio de Palenque founded?

16th century

Do you know the history of San Basilio de Palenque?

But few know their history or their village, San Basilio de Palenque, the first free town for enslaved people in the Americas. San Basilio de Palenque is a small village in the foothills of the Montes de María, a small mountain range to the south of Cartagena.

Where is Palenque spoken?

Today it is spoken only in San Basilio de Palenque and is one of Colombia’s 69 native languages. Even in Cartagena, the palenqueras who sell their traditional products speak in their original palenque, which carries incalculable cultural value for Colombia. Music and dance are the soul of San Basilio de Palenque.

What is the history of the Palenque in Colombia?

The free lands of San Basilio de Palenque were founded more than two hundred years before Colombia achieved independence from Spain. A ‘capitulation of peace’ was signed between the Spaniards and the former slaves in 1603 and, in 1713, the Spanish crown issued a Royal Decree that officially freed the people of the palenque from slavery.

How did Palenque become the first free settlement?

However, in 1691, the Spanish Crown issued a royal decree officially freeing the Africans in Palenque from slavery. This made them the first free Africans in the Americas and Palenque the first free settlement.