Flanked on one side by the Torre del Reloj and on the other by the Portal de los Dulces, Plaza de los Coches is the vibrant heart of Cartagena. This public space has undergone several name changes over time, reflecting the many events it has witnessed. It was originally called “Judge’s Square”, as Francisco de Santa Cruz lived in one of the corner houses here. He was a lawyer who came to Cartagena to swear in the new governor succeeding Pedro de Heredia, the city’s founder, whose statue stands nearby. Later, the authorisation to sell yerba leaves, a plant similar to holly, led to the name “Yerba Square,” a more neutral title compared to what came next. As Latin America’s first slave port in 1530, Cartagena developed a slave market in this triangular space to sell men and women brought from Africa. During that dark period, it became known as “Slave Square.” At the end of the 19th century, following a mayoral decree allowing carriages to park here, the square was renamed Plaza de los Coches, or “Carriage Square”—a name it still holds today.