Author: Wendy Vanessa Valdez Velásquez
San Basilio de Palenque, founded in 1603, is recognized as the first free town in the Americas. In 2005, it was declared an Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, in recognition of its invaluable historical, linguistic, and cultural legacy.
This territory has proudly preserved its African heritage through the Palenquero language, musical traditions such as the tambora and lumbalú—a funeral ritual of deep spiritual significance—as well as ancestral practices of natural medicine used to heal without chemical products.
Traditional hairstyles, beyond their aesthetic value, were symbols of resistance, used as coded maps to escape slavery. Its rich Afro-Colombian cuisine has been celebrated nationally, notably featured in renowned culinary publications like the book “Kumina Ri Palenque Pa Tó Paraje.”
San Basilio de Palenque is not only a historical milestone in the fight for freedom but also a living source of identity, resistance, and cultural pride. Visiting it means connecting with a story of dignity, ancestral wisdom, and a unique form of community expression found nowhere else in the world.
