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Cultural Space of Palenque de San Basilio



The village of Palenque de San Basilio has an approximate population of 3,500 people. It is located in the foothills of the Montes de María Range, southeast of the regional capital, Cartagena. Palenque de San Basilio was built by emancipated slaves in the seventeenth century as a sanctuary. Only a few have survived, and San Basilio is one of many settlements that existed during that time. Residents of Palenque are referred to as Palenqueros. Their isolation from the rest of the world dates back centuries. This has allowed them to preserve their African culture and infuse it with Spanish culture, resulting in a highly distinctive cultural space. In 1691, the Spanish issued a Royal Decree declaring their freedom, provided they stopped freeing slaves from the plantations of Cartagena.

The Cultural Space of Palenque de San Basilio includes social, medical, and religious practices along with musical and oral traditions. Some of these traditions have their roots in African cultures. The social organization of this community is based on family networks and age groups called ma kuagro. Membership in these groups entails certain rights and duties toward others, as well as strong internal solidarity. Each kuagro member participates jointly in work and in special events. A complex system of funeral rituals and related medical practices reflects the distinct spiritual and cultural outlook of the Palenque people on life and death. Musical expressions such as Bullenge sitting, Son Palenquero, or Son de Negro accompany festivities such as baptism, weddings, and religious events, as well as leisure activities. The Palenquero language has been central to the cultural space of Palenque de San Basilio. There is no other creole language in Latin America with a lexical Spanish basis and grammatical characteristics that are so similar to Bantu languages. Palenque women, or Palenqueras, were famous as master saleswomen who wore colorful dresses with a turban-like head covering. They are known for their incredible looks, as well as their delicious cooking. Palenque food is widely known and desired across the globe. Its recipes won awards in 2014 for Gourmand World Cookbook Awards and have been included in over 15,000 cookbooks throughout the years.

San Basilio de Palenque is influenced by Spanish, Caribbean, and South American cultures. This is a settlement that is documented as being the first free African settlement in the Americas. It represents African resistance to the Spanish from the time of the legend Benkos Bioho to the present day. San Basilio de Palenque represents African pride, African strength, and African freedom. Sadly, the cultural space of Palenque has not only been attacked by economic changes that affect local production methods. In addition, it has been attacked by the armed conflict within Colombia between paramilitary and local guerrilla groups. Outside of Palenque, the inhabitants of the city are commonly subjected to discrimination and ethnic stereotyping, which robs them of their cultural values.

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