Barranquilla, a fascinating city in Northern Colombia, is the nation’s major transportation for products coming and going by sea. Its chief advantage is its position at the mouth of the Magdalena River. An ancient indigenous trading site was located near steep embankments. Spanish traders first settled as early as 1630. The settlement grew from humble beginnings and large land grants. During the chaotic decades of the nineteenth Century, Barranquilla was constantly involved with various political factions, providing for intense emotions and differing loyalties.
Immigrants began to pour into the port city. Barranquilla gained the nickname “Colombia’s Golden City” after World War I when European immigrants fled the ravages of destruction, looking for a better future. After World II, the river of immigrants became a flood, bringing people from every country in Europe and from across the Middle East. Consequently, this large urban area is one of the most cosmopolitan regions in Colombia.
Barranquilla is noted as a city of ‘firsts:’ Colombia’s first major port, the first city with phones, the first city with an airport, boasting the nation’s first public companies, the first city with running water to all its homes, and the first commercial radio station.
On the other hand, the city of two million is known for chaotic urban planning and corruption at various government levels.
How to pray for Barranquilla – Remember six LAM Missionaries.