Recently, Peregrina sailed past the mighty fortress walls of Cartagena, Colombia to anchor in the peaceful waters of the inner bay.  Just across the bay is the old walled city, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Inside the city is a labyrinth of Spanish colonial streets abounding with architectural delights. But, what kept drawing my eyes were the door knockers.

One of the more popular styles was the lizard shape. A local resident told me that there were many lizards around the old city hundreds of years ago and, he

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Now, let’s step back a little so that you get some perspective. These door knockers often hang on massive doors which led into interior courtyards.

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They were often large enough so that horses could come inside with their carriages. Large, ornate doors also depicted the owner’s financial or social success. On very wealthy houses, the dozens of metal knobs you see above would have been made of silver or gold! The more knobs the more affluent the owner!

The servants went in through the smaller access door seen on the right hand side of the picture above while the owner would have both doors swinging open to allow for a grand entrance.

When the Spanish ruled the city, those families with royal blood would have door knockers depicting a coat of arms or the lion, a well-known symbol of the king.

The door knockers could also represent the trade of the inhabitant for instance someone in the fish business, navigation or

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Since Cartagena is a city surrounded by water there are many aquatic images.

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So, if you want to take a stroll down the fabled streets of Cartagena, come a knockin’.

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