Mompós

Introducing Mompós

In the evenings, when residents of Mompós rock calmly in their rocking chairs and the bats flutter through the eaves, you may feel like you've stepped into the pages of Huckleberry Finn or Gone With the Wind.

The atmosphere evoked in the Mompós environs is certainly unique in Colombia (it may feel more like Mississippi), and is well worth experiencing, despite the hardships of getting there. Surrounded by muddy rivers and thick vegetation, Mompós is 200km southeast of Cartagena, and reached by a combination of bus, boat and car.

Mompós has a long tradition in hand-worked filigree gold jewelry, which is of outstanding quality. Nowadays both gold and silver is used. The town's other specialty is its furniture. Despite the scarcity of timber in the region, several workshops still continue the tradition, making muebles momposinos, particularly rocking chairs, which are renowned nationwide.

Mompós also has a tradition in literature and was the setting for Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009