Caño del Oro on the island of Tierra Bomba, owes its name to the old gold smelting furnaces that operated there during colonial times. The place, also known as Caño de Loro, is a neighborhood or commune on the island with a population of about 2,000 inhabitants, of African descent, whose economy is based on traditional artisanal fishing and agriculture.
At the end of the 18th century, the first lazaretto in Colombia was erected there, in response to the leprosy epidemic of the time. The complex included a hospital, church, medical house and common areas such as dining rooms. It housed a population of about 600 patients and was active from 1796 to 1950. After the transfer of the leprocomio to Flandes (Tolima), the facilities were bombed as a measure to prevent possible contagions by the government of General Rojas Pinilla. The ruins are integrated with the settlement because the leprocomio was separated from the rest of the population by a wall.
- Distance from Cartagena: 10 minutes by boat
- There is no tourism infrastructure.
