San Basilio de Palenque was founded in the late 17th century, when groups of escaped African slaves fled the colonial sugar plantations and united at the foothills of the Montes de María to establish the first free community in the Americas. Over the years, Palenque became a symbol of freedom and resistance: its people preserved the languages and customs brought from Africa, developed systems of self-governance, and fiercely protected their culture from outside influences. Today, walking through its dusty streets, you can still see the footprints of freedom left by our ancestors—echoes that still resonate in the sound of drums accompanying rituals of emancipation. You’ll admire the humble facades of the homes where stories of courage were woven, and hear, on every corner, tales passed down from generation to generation—of anonymous heroes and encounters with legendary figures.