Cartagena Cathedral, Colombia

[4] It was a humble construction of "thatched roof and reeds", and was located in the block that is behind the present cathedral, with front on the street calle del Coliseo.

[5] In that same year (1575) a public contest was called to select the design of the building, which was presented by the masters Eugenio de la Vega, Hernando Esteban, Juanes Guerra and Simón González [6] The project presented by the latter, was chosen as a "major workman" of the work, a practically supervisory position, with a salary of $50,000 maravedís per year, also indicating a daily of Twenty-two reales for each day he worked in the construction, allowing him to simultaneously exercise that position with the other activities of his office.

[6] In turn, Hernando Esteban was commissioned by the Cabildo as immediate director of the traces and Juanes Guerra worked on the project and occupied a prominent position.

In 1577, when the foundation was still being worked on, it was discussed in the Cabildo the feasibility of changing its orientation and turning its axis ninety degrees, as proposed by regidor and captain Sebastián Pérez.

Nevertheless, the following year (1586), the English pirate, Francis Drake, “El Draque”, appeared before the coasts of Cartagena with a fleet of up to 23 ships of war and more than 3,000 men, and attacked the city, in which it was the most important military action carried out in the 16th century against the ports of America.

Fortuitously and coincidentally, on the way to Quito, the master Benito de Morales passed through the city, who, at the request of the governor, examined the cathedral and evaluated the damage suffered.

In addition, after the attack and looting of the city, Bishop Friar Juan de Montalvo died the September 10 of 1586, of moral penalty after the demolition of his cathedral.

In 1591, the bishop Friar Antonio de Hervías wrote a letter to the king, in which it said: This work goes very long with having been able to finish the damage that Drake did in space of a year, and to walk in six years that the damage was done and now closely to be finished and God knows when it is finished, With very great detriment of the edified that is destroyed everything with the waters and with much offense of those that we enter in the church raining all it and they do not take advantage of prayers and warnings, take advantage of the money and to spend itself in salaries of majors and on shelves and it is not done nothing"[6] The letter of Bishop Friar Antonio de Hervías addressed to the king is transcribed with the writing of that time, in addition some words have the spelling of that moment.

Notwithstanding the pessimism of the bishop (reflecting the frequent enmity between the military and ecclesiastical authorities of the colony), reconstruction was undertaken, albeit slowly; in spite of the good desire of the governor, had not advanced much, since no funds were available since the city was very bad economically after the attack of the Drake.