It can be sad when tradition gives way to “modernization” in a way that eliminates old world charm. In some places that happens quickly, but some destinations hold on for longer. And right now Cartagena, Columbia is losing one of its iconic vestiges of old world charm. Cartagena horse carriages are giving way to electric buggies.
A friend sent me this article and I wanted to share it with you all. Cartagena has been a place I’ve long wanted to visit and apparently I’ve missed the opportunity to enjoy the horse drawn buggies.
Breaking It Down:
What’s Cartagena, Columbia Famous For?
Cartagena sits on Colombia’s Caribbean coast and for decades it has been one of the country’s most beloved destinations. The historic center is its main hub with plazas and mansions and a beautiful cityscape.
The city is also famous for the horse-drawn buggies that carry tourists through its streets. Soon, though, traditional buggies will be outlawed by the city government. They will be replaced with electric vehicles.
Why?
There have been concerns over animal welfare.
Horse cart owners and traditionalists are angry. Animal rights activists and local officials contend there should be no place for horse carts in a city that wants to portray itself as a global destination.
The article goes deeper into the arguments by both groups: cart owners and animal rights activists.
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Tourists in the UNESCO World Heritage Site say that the horse carts are a fun way to get around in Cartagena’s sweltering heat. And many appreciate the way in which drivers share the colonial city’s history.
Differences Of Opinion About The Horse-Drawn Carriages
And other Columbians are voicing their opinions as well. For instance, Alejandro Riaño, a popular comedian from Bogota, has been lobbying Cartagena’s government to replace the horse carts for the past four years.
In 2021, he raised more than 25,000 dollars on a crowd funding site, to build an electric vehicle that resembles a traditional horse buggy, but runs with battery power. The prototype was tested on the city’s streets two years ago.
On December 29, 2025 traditional horse-drawn buggies will be banned, and replaced by a fleet of 62 electric carriages imported from China, under a joint venture between Cartagena’s city government and Corpoturismo, an agency that promotes tourism in the city.
Instead of reins, there’s a steering wheel at the front for the driver. The new carts come with speakers that could be used to play music, or to replicate the sound of a horse’s gallop.
Liliana Rodriguez, Corpoturismo’s director, says that this new fleet of carts could inspire other cities where horse carriages are still in use.
“These are the kinds of changes that new generations are demanding,” she said.
As you might expect, owners of Cartagena’s horse carriages are worried.
They say that the municipal government is pushing them out of a business they’ve spent decades building.
“We are not against a transition,” said Miguel Angel Cortez, the owner of two horse carts that make around $150 per day. “But we need to know how we will be included.”
Turbay says that tourists will be able to ride on the city’s new electric carts for free, for the next two months.Cartagena’s mayor Domek Turbay, accuses the cart owners of “sabotaging” negotiations. He says that the municipal government is willing to share the profits of the new electric vehicles with the horse cart owners.
But so far, there has been no agreement between both sides, and cart owners have threatened to sue the city government for leaving them out of work.
And some of the carriage drivers who currently work for cart owners admit that they will apply for jobs driving the new electric buggies.
But others are wondering if tourists will want to ride on electric vehicles, even if they resemble 19th century carriages.
“People come to Cartagena for tradition,” says cart driver Cristian Munoz. “Without the horses, it’s not the same.”
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