Fodor's Expert Review Catedral Metropolitana

The cathedral on the main square is always the heart of any Latin American city. Plaza de Bolívar—watched over by a statue of South American liberator Simón Bolívar—is a shady place from which to admire Cartagena's 16th-century cathedral. (It's officially the "Catedral Basílica Metropolitana de Santa Catalina de Alejandria.") Construction lasted from 1577 to 1612. British pirates attacked and pillaged the site about halfway through the process, a fate that befell many buildings in Cartagena in those early days. The colorful bell tower and dome date from the early 20th century; inside are a massive gilded altar and towering arches.