The province of Cartagena was located fifty leagues down the coast of Santa Marta to the west. The province was persecuted, ravaged, cleared, and all the people slaughtered in one year from 1498 to 1499.
The Province of Santa Marta, which is now known as Columbia, was rich with gold and people who knew how to extract it. From 1498 to 1542 the region was a major attraction to Spanish plunderers who sailed there, robbed gold, and sailed back to Spain. Until 1523 the Spanish established a permanent settlement in the area and in 1529 one Spanish commander arrived that had no fear of God or any compassion for even his fellow men. In the six or seven years.....
