VIDEO TOUR: Torture Devices at Cartagena’s Inquisition Museum

WRITTEN BY Mark Chesnut

Cartagena’s History Museum houses exhibits about the rich heritage of Colombia’s most popular tourism destination. But the part that seems to get the most attention is the Palacio de la Inquisición, which now houses a museum of the Inquisition. This violent phase of Roman Catholic history tried supposed heretics within the church’s own justice system, and was known for the extreme methods of torture used to extract confessions and conversions from the accused.
The beautiful building used for this purpose in Cartagena dates to 1610, and sits conveniently near the city’s cathedral. Cartagena, in fact, was one of three hubs in Latin America for the Inquisition. Today, the grand structure sits as a quiet reminder of its unfortunate past — and the many torture devices on exhibit serve as a very visual reminder. This video highlights just a few.