SANTA MARTA, COLOMBIA - JANUARY 20, 2010: Tourists make a holiday snap in front of a statue of an indigenous Kogi man erected by the beachfront. Kogis live in remote places in Sierra Nevada. shore and a large tanker at sea. Santa Marta is a city and municipality located in northern Colombia by the Caribbean sea and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains, capital of the Magdalena Department. The city is an important maritime port and hub for tourism, history and culture. It was founded on July 29, 1525 by Spanish conqueror Rodrigo de Bastidas, who named the city after the Catholic day for Saint Martha, which in Spain was celebrated with festivities. However many historians argue that he named it after the Spanish city of Santa Marta de Astorgas, which he had also visited. It was one of the first cities to be founded in Colombia. (Photo by Kaveh Kazemi/Getty Images)
