Music, film, art, and gastronomy map a journey through the country’s most creative side, far from clichés and guided by its leading voices.
Only a city like Cartagena — shaped over centuries by the cultures that arrived at its Mediterranean port — could give rise to a project like La Mar de Músicas. Every summer, the festival reclaims that spirit of exchange and turns the city into an open window to the world, inviting us to discover a country through all its creative expressions. Music is the common thread (of the 45 concerts scheduled, 21 are free), but the journey continues through films, books, exhibitions, and flavors.
This year’s edition, running through July 25, puts the spotlight on Ecuador — a destination often overshadowed by neighbors like Peru or Colombia, but whose rugged geography, shaped by the Andes and the Amazon, has given rise to an extraordinarily rich cultural scene. The lineup is the best proof of that richness. The folktrónica of Swing Original Monks, the pop of Paola Navarrete, the rock of Lolabúm, and the festive spirit of Papaya Dada dialogue with rooted proposals that reinvent tradition, such as Humazapas, Margarita Laso, and Jatun Mama.
Together, they paint a portrait of contemporary Ecuador: a country where tradition and avant-garde converse with total naturalness. As always, this perspective coexists with an international lineup featuring some of the most stimulating voices on the current scene, including Rubén Blades, Lila Downs, Sílvia Pérez Cruz, Rodrigo Cuevas, Judeline, Carminho, Silvana Estrada, Monsieur Periné, and Alice Phoebe Lou.
Mexico’s Natalia Lafourcade has also taken part in La Mar de Músicas.
There is also a reason of proximity behind this year’s choice. Thousands of Ecuadorians have been part of the daily life of the Murcia Region for decades, and yet their culture remains largely unknown. That reality inspires Los de aquí (“Those from Here”), one of the central projects of La Mar de Arte. Curated by María Garberí and Pepo Devesa, the exhibition asks what it means to be from here, exploring identity, rootedness, and the migratory experience of the Ecuadorian community. The journey combines works by contemporary Ecuadorian artists linked to Spain with materials that document and vindicate their contribution to the social, economic, and cultural life of the region.
Another unmissable stop is De Novo Orbe. Decades Octo, dedicated to Oswaldo Guayasamín, one of the great Latin American artists of the 20th century. The exhibition brings together the series of engravings he created to illustrate De Orbe Novo, one of the earliest European chronicles of the Spanish arrival in the Americas — an excellent gateway to the critical and deeply humanistic perspective that runs through all his work.
Beyond the film series and literary gatherings, the other major novelty comes to the table. Gastronomy takes on special prominence this year with a route in which sixteen Cartagena restaurants reinterpret some of Ecuador’s most representative flavors. The offering is rounded out with two signature experiences: Chagra. Sabores y saberes del norte andino (“Chagra: Flavors and Knowledge of the Northern Andes”), by Ecuadorian chef Sebastián López, a journey through Andean-Amazonian cuisine; and De Puerto a Puerto. Cartagena x Ecuador (“From Port to Port: Cartagena x Ecuador”), a meeting between Cartagena-born chef María Gómez and Ecuadorian Miguel Ángel Méndez to explore the culinary links between both territories.
Photo credit: La Mar de Músicas
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