Magdalena Capital Santa Marta Santa Marta is the capital of Magdalena, founded in 1525 in a Caribbean bay at the foot of the Sierra Nevada, and is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Colombia. The center has the Cathedral, the Casa de la Aduana and the malecón; nearby are the Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino, where Bolívar died, El Rodadero and Taganga. It is the base for Parque Tayrona and for Minca in the mountains. The climate is warm year-round.