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Old photos of Cartagena

96 photographs of Cartagena, from 1905 to 2025 — each pinned to the exact place it was taken.

Plaza de Santo Domingo in 1910 — EU: Cartagena, Colombia: ruins of stone structures (graves ?) surrounded by palm trees. Photograph, 1905/1920 (?). (1910) 1910 Plaza de Santo Domingo in 2025 — Colombia, Cartagena, Sector Antiguo, Plaza de Santo Domingo 2025
Then and now: Plaza de Santo Domingo, 1910 vs 2025
Have an old photo of Cartagena? A family album, a postcard, a print from the attic. Pin it to the map and it becomes part of the record.
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What the photos show

The 96 photographs of Cartagena on PlaceWas span 7 decades, from 1905 to 2025. 18 of them were taken before 1980; the other 78 are recent views of the same streets and landmarks.12 spots were photographed more than once, so you can compare the same street, square or building across the years.96 of the photos carry a written caption explaining what is in the frame. Every picture is pinned to the place it was taken, so the map below shows where the photographers stood.

Pick a decade to filter the photos below and the map above. Open full map ↗

Places in Cartagena through time

Spots photographed more than once — compare the same place across the years.

Skyscrapers Over City, Cartagena — photos through time
Skyscrapers Over City 26 photos · 1905–2016
Cerro de la Popa, Cartagena — photos through time
Cerro de la Popa 14 photos · 2008–2025
Plaza de Santo Domingo, Cartagena — photos through time
Plaza de Santo Domingo 8 photos · 1910–2025
Black And White Shot, Cartagena — photos through time
Black And White Shot 5 photos · 2009–2020
Catedral de Cartagena vista nocturna, Cartagena — photos through time
Catedral de Cartagena vista nocturna 4 photos · 2012–2025
Colombia, Cartagena, Palacio de la Inquisición, Cartagena — photos through time
Colombia, Cartagena, Palacio de la Inquisición 4 photos · 2020–2025
Cartagena, Colombia - Laslovarga, Cartagena — photos through time
Cartagena, Colombia - Laslovarga 3 photos · 2017
Convento de Santa Cruz de la Popa 03, Cartagena — photos through time
Convento de Santa Cruz de la Popa 03 3 photos · 2020
Street life in Cartagena, Cartagena — photos through time
Street life in Cartagena 3 photos · 2014
Cartagena Panorama from La Popa, Cartagena — photos through time
Cartagena Panorama from La Popa 2 photos · 2019–2020
Cartagena ( ) - tall ship at dock, Cartagena — photos through time
Cartagena ( ) - tall ship at dock 2 photos · 2014
San Felipe de Barajas - Panorama, Cartagena — photos through time
San Felipe de Barajas - Panorama 2 photos · 2007–2009

Stories from Cartagena

What contributors wrote about these photographs.

EU: Cartagena, Colombia: a large stone building used for the market, next to a wooden house. Photograph, 1910/1920 (?). (1910), Cartagena, 1910
EU: Cartagena, Colombia: a large stone building used for the market, next to a wooden house. Photograph, 1910/1920 (?). (1910) 1910 A large stone building used as a public market stands beside a smaller wooden house in this photograph of Cartagena, Colombia, dated to around 1910-1920. Cartagena's colonial core was a major Caribbean trading port, and…
San Felipe de Barajas - Panorama, Cartagena, 2007
San Felipe de Barajas - Panorama 2007 Castillo San Felipe de Barajas, the Spanish colonial fortress overlooking Cartagena, Colombia. Built up over the 17th and 18th centuries to defend the port from pirate and naval attacks, it forms part of Cartagena's…
Colombian Training Ship ARC "Gloria", Cartagena, 2008
Colombian Training Ship ARC "Gloria" 2008 The ARC Gloria, a barquentine-rigged sailing ship of the Colombian Navy built in Spain in 1966, is used to train naval cadets and has called at ports worldwide. This 2008 photograph was taken in Cartagena, the historic…
The official downtown entrance- Puerta del Reloj (Clock Gate), Cartagena, 2009
The official downtown entrance- Puerta del Reloj (Clock Gate) 2009 The Puerta del Reloj, or Clock Gate, forms the principal entrance to the walled old city of Cartagena, Colombia. Topped by a clock tower added in the twentieth century, the gate was originally built as part of the city's…
Boca grande skyline, Cartagena, 2009
Boca grande skyline 2009 The skyline of Bocagrande, Cartagena, Colombia, photographed in 2009. Once a sandy peninsula, the district was developed from the mid-20th century onward into the city's high-rise hotel and beach district, in contrast to…
Lighthouse In Cartagena, Cartagena, 2014
Lighthouse In Cartagena 2014 A lighthouse in Cartagena, Colombia, photographed in 2014. The Caribbean port city, founded by the Spanish in the sixteenth century, retains a walled historic center and coastal defenses that have long guided ships along…
Castillo san felipe, Cartagena, 2017
Castillo san felipe 2017 Castillo San Felipe de Barajas in Cartagena, Colombia, photographed in 2017. Built by Spain in the seventeenth century and enlarged over the following decades, the fortress was designed to defend the port city from naval…
Castillo San Felipe de Barajas, Cartagena 18, Cartagena, 2020
Castillo San Felipe de Barajas, Cartagena 18 2020 A view of Castillo San Felipe de Barajas in Cartagena, Colombia, photographed in 2020. Built by the Spanish beginning in 1536 and expanded over the following two centuries, the fortress was designed to defend the city…
1900s · 3 photos
1910s · 9 photos
1930s · 1 photo
1940s · 5 photos
2000s · 10 photos
2010s · 44 photos · showing 12, all 44 on the map ↗
2020s · 24 photos · showing 12, all 24 on the map ↗