History of Barranquilla

In 1840, merchants and commercial carriers of Barranquilla tried to form an independent province, Cibeles, which was to comprise the cantons of Barlovento. They proclaimed Colonel Ramón Antigüedad as their leader. The primary objective was to rehabilitate the town of Sabanilla as an independent port, as exports were controlled by the cities of Cartagena and Santa Marta. This rebellion was quickly crushed by Cartagenan troops. In 1845, the city was one of nine cantons that comprised the province of Cartagena.

At the end of the decade, in 1849, President Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera issued a decree that revitalized the bay of Sabanilla as a port to export goods. A customs house was built there, the Castillo de Salgar, to accommodate the new traffic. In early June 1849, an outbreak of cholera occurred in Barranquilla. It had originated in Cartagena, which in turn had received it from shipments coming from Panama.