Taganga is a traditional

fishing village A fishing village is a village, usually located near a fishing ground, with an economy based on catching fish and harvesting seafood. The continents and islands around the world have coastlines totalling around 356,000 kilometres (221,000 ...

and

corregimiento ''Corregimiento'' (; ca, Corregiment, ) is a Spanish term used for country subdivisions for royal administrative purposes, ensuring districts were under crown control as opposed to local elites. A ''corregimiento'' was usually headed by a ''cor ...

of Santa Marta, located on the Caribbean coast of Colombia at about 10 minutes or north of Santa Marta. Both Santa Marta and Taganga were founded by

Rodrigo de Bastidas Rodrigo de Bastidas (; Triana, Seville, Andalusia, c. 1465 – Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, 28 July 1527) was a Spanish conquistador and explorer who mapped the northern coast of South America, discovered Panama, and founded the city of Santa Marta. ...

on July 29, 1525, making them two of the oldest remaining colonial settlements in present-day Colombia. The touristic town and backpacker hub is famous for its sunsets, diving and access to the

Tayrona National Natural Park The Tayrona National Natural Park ( es, Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona) is a protected area in the Colombian northern Caribbean region and within the jurisdiction of the city of Santa Marta, from the city centre. The park presents a biodive ...

. Bohemian and richly decorated Taganga is full of hostels and forms part of the South American

Gringo Trail The Gringo Trail refers to a string of the places most often visited''The Gringo Trail'', Mark Manat Amazon/ref> by "gringos", Canadians, Americans, other budget travelers, vice tourists, backpackers, Anglo-European, Dutch, German heritage foreigner ...

. In the months of July and August the village is visited by many

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

is who finished their

military draft Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day u ...

period.

Etymology

The source of the name Taganga is uncertain; it is either derived from the

Taganga people Taganga is a traditional fishing village and corregimiento of Santa Marta, located on the Caribbean coast of Colombia at about 10 minutes or north of Santa Marta. Both Santa Marta and Taganga were founded by Rodrigo de Bastidas on July 29, 152 ...

inhabiting the area before the

Spanish conquest The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its predec ...

, from the words ''ta'' and ''gunmy''; "Snake mountain range" or from the

Tairona Tairona (or Tayrona) was a Pre-Columbian culture of Colombia, which consisted in a group of chiefdoms in the region of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in present-day Cesar, Magdalena and La Guajira Departments of Colombia, South America, which ...

words ''ta'' and ''ganga''; "Entrance of the sea". 2015
Etymology, draughts and park construction Taganga
/ref>

Geography and geology

Taganga is located on the northern coast of Colombia, at the northwestern flank of the

Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (English: ''Snow-Covered Mountain Range of Saint Martha'') is an isolated mountain range in northern Colombia, separate from the Andes range that runs through the north of the country. Reaching an elevation of ...

, the triangular mountain range in northern Colombia hosting the double peak

Pico Cristóbal Colón Pico Cristóbal Colón is the highest mountain in Colombia, with an estimated height of . Pico Cristóbal Colón and Pico Simón Bolívar are the two highest peaks in Colombia and are equal in elevation. One or the other of these peaks is theref ...

and

Pico Simón Bolívar Pico Simón Bolívar is the second highest mountain in Colombia, with an estimated height of . Pico Bolívar and the neighbouring summit of Pico Cristóbal Colón are the two highest peaks in Colombia and are very nearly equal in elevation. Th ...

, the highest mountain(s) () closest to the sea () in the world. The village of approximately is situated south of the Tayrona National Park. It is home to the Tairona people and to a rich

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic ('' genetic variability''), species ('' species diversity''), and ecosystem ('' ecosystem diversity' ...

. The mountain range is thought to have formed from to the easternward movement of the

Caribbean Plate The Caribbean Plate is a mostly oceanic tectonic plate underlying Central America and the Caribbean Sea off the north coast of South America. Roughly 3.2 million square kilometers (1.2 million square miles) in area, the Caribbean Plate borde ...

, along the Oca Fault, which forms the boundary with the

South American Plate The South American Plate is a major tectonic plate which includes the continent of South America as well as a sizable region of the Atlantic Ocean seabed extending eastward to the African Plate, with which it forms the southern part of the Mi ...

. The area around Tanganga geologically forms part of the Santa Marta Supergroup with main

rock types In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

metamorphic rock Metamorphic rocks arise from the transformation of existing rock to new types of rock in a process called metamorphism. The original rock ( protolith) is subjected to temperatures greater than and, often, elevated pressure of or more, cau ...

s as

phyllite Phyllite ( ) is a type of foliated metamorphic rock created from slate that is further metamorphosed so that very fine grained white mica achieves a preferred orientation.Stephen Marshak ''Essentials of Geology'', 3rd ed. It is primarily compo ...

s and

amphibolite Amphibolite () is a metamorphic rock that contains amphibole, especially hornblende and actinolite, as well as plagioclase feldspar, but with little or no quartz. It is typically dark-colored and dense, with a weakly foliated or schistose (flak ...

s.Caicedo & Guarín, 2011Sáenz Reyes, 2011 The phyllites are overlain by the Ciénaga Marble.Caicedo & Guarín, 2011, p.30 The greenish phyllites are rich in

phyllosilicates Silicate minerals are rock-forming minerals made up of silicate groups. They are the largest and most important class of minerals and make up approximately 90 percent of Earth's crust. In mineralogy, silica (silicon dioxide, ) is usually cons ...

amphibole Amphibole () is a group of inosilicate minerals, forming prism or needlelike crystals, composed of double chain tetrahedra, linked at the vertices and generally containing ions of iron and/or magnesium in their structures. Its IMA symbol is ...

s and large crystals of

pyrite The mineral pyrite (), or iron pyrite, also known as fool's gold, is an iron sulfide with the chemical formula Fe S2 (iron (II) disulfide). Pyrite is the most abundant sulfide mineral. Pyrite's metallic luster and pale brass-yellow hue giv ...

, while the amphibolites contain

quartzite Quartzite is a hard, non- foliated metamorphic rock which was originally pure quartz sandstone.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Edition, Stephen Marshak, p 182 Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tec ...

veins showing stockwork patterns surrounded by

muscovite Muscovite (also known as common mica, isinglass, or potash mica) is a hydrated phyllosilicate mineral of aluminium and potassium with formula K Al2(Al Si3 O10)( F,O H)2, or ( KF)2( Al2O3)3( SiO2)6( H2O). It has a highly perfect basal cleavage ...

.Caicedo & Guarín, 2011, p.62 The contact of the two

metamorphic facies A metamorphic facies is a set of mineral assemblages in metamorphic rocks formed under similar pressures and temperatures.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Edition, Stephen Marshak The assemblage is typical of what is formed in conditions corresponding ...

is located within Taganga.Sáenz Reyes, 2011, pp.61-64 The urban center of Taganga is situated on

alluvial fan An alluvial fan is an accumulation of sediments that fans outwards from a concentrated source of sediments, such as a narrow canyon emerging from an escarpment. They are characteristic of mountainous terrain in arid to semiarid climates, but a ...

deposits fed by the

hinterland Hinterland is a German word meaning "the land behind" (a city, a port, or similar). Its use in English was first documented by the geographer George Chisholm in his ''Handbook of Commercial Geography'' (1888). Originally the term was associated ...

of the foothills of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.Sáenz Reyes, 2011, p.95 Analysis of

actinolite Actinolite is an amphibole silicate mineral with the chemical formula . Etymology The name ''actinolite'' is derived from the Greek word ''aktis'' (), meaning "beam" or "ray", because of the mineral's fibrous nature. Mineralogy Actinolite is ...

minerals in the phyllites of Taganga produced

Lower Lower may refer to: *Lower (surname) *Lower Township, New Jersey *Lower Receiver (firearms) *Lower Wick Gloucestershire, England See also *Nizhny Nizhny (russian: Ни́жний; masculine), Nizhnyaya (; feminine), or Nizhneye (russian: Ни́� ...

and Mid-

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of ...

ages, which is much older than the Rodadero Formation

outcrop An outcrop or rocky outcrop is a visible exposure of bedrock or ancient superficial deposits on the surface of the Earth. Features Outcrops do not cover the majority of the Earth's land surface because in most places the bedrock or superficia ...

ping south of Santa Marta.Sáenz Reyes, 2011, p.146 The metamorphic rocks were formed under pressures of 3-9.5 kbar and temperatures between and .Caicedo & Guarín, 2011, p.113

Taganga Fault

The Taganga Fault is the tectonic lineament separating the village of Taganga from the Tayrona Park in the north.Sáenz Reyes, 2011, p.73 The activity of the NE-trending fault has produced carbonitization of the phyllites.Sáenz Reyes, 2011, p.62 The fault is a

reverse fault In geology, a fault is a planar fracture or discontinuity in a volume of rock across which there has been significant displacement as a result of rock-mass movements. Large faults within Earth's crust result from the action of plate tectoni ...

that is characterized by

serpentinite Serpentinite is a rock composed predominantly of one or more serpentine group minerals, the name originating from the similarity of the texture of the rock to that of the skin of a snake. Serpentinite has been called ''serpentine'' or ''ser ...

s, the presence of

epidote Epidote is a calcium aluminium iron sorosilicate mineral. Description Well developed crystals of epidote, Ca2Al2(Fe3+;Al)(SiO4)(Si2O7)O(OH), crystallizing in the monoclinic system, are of frequent occurrence: they are commonly prismatic in hab ...

and the formation of

talc Talc, or talcum, is a clay mineral, composed of hydrated magnesium silicate with the chemical formula Mg3Si4O10(OH)2. Talc in powdered form, often combined with corn starch, is used as baby powder. This mineral is used as a thickening agent ...

minerals.Sáenz Reyes, 2011, p.72

Climate

The climate of Taganga is BSh (

Köppen classification Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

), with hot days and warm nights with average daily temperatures of to and night average of . Rainfall is scattered throughout the year with a total of , but many dry periods cause water shortages in the village. From November 2015 to May 2016 a strong draught was present in Taganga; it only rained for one day in this period ().

History

In the time before the arrival of the Spanish, Santa Marta was populated by the

Gaira Gaira is a small town on the Caribbean coast of Colombia. Near the port of Santa Marta, it is also well known for El Rodadero, one of the most popular beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose pa ...

indigenous people Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

. Taganga was inhabited by the

Taganga Taganga is a traditional fishing village and corregimiento of Santa Marta, located on the Caribbean coast of Colombia at about 10 minutes or north of Santa Marta. Both Santa Marta and Taganga were founded by Rodrigo de Bastidas on July 29, 152 ...

, under the leadership of a ''

cacique A ''cacique'' (Latin American ; ; feminine form: ''cacica'') was a tribal chieftain of the Taíno people, the indigenous inhabitants at European contact of the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. The term is a ...

''. In those ages the population of Taganga was substantial. 2010
The founder of Santa Marta
- El MundoDiccionario geográfico, 2010, p.412 The first European sighting of the mainland of

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the souther ...

was by

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...

at his third voyage to the Americas in August 1498 when he sailed through the

Gulf of Paria The Gulf of Paria ( ; es, Golfo de Paria) is a shallow (180 m at its deepest) semi-enclosed inland sea located between the island of Trinidad (Republic of Trinidad and Tobago) and the east coast of Venezuela. It separates the two countries ...

separating the island of

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

with mainland present-day

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in ...

. Although Colombia is named after Columbus, he never saw the lands of current Colombia. The furtherst south Columbus went was in present-day Panama, that until 1903 was part of (Gran) Colombia. One of Columbus's competitors,

Alonso de Ojeda Alonso de Ojeda (; c. 1466 – c. 1515) was a Spanish explorer, governor and conquistador. He travelled through modern-day Guyana, Venezuela, Trinidad, Tobago, Curaçao, Aruba and Colombia. He navigated with Amerigo Vespucci who is famous f ...

, was the first conquistador who set foot on mainland Colombia in 1499.History of Colombia
/ref> In 1502, the Colombian Caribbean coast stretching from the

Needle Cape Needle may refer to: Crafting * Crochet needle, a tool for making loops in thread or yarn * Knitting needle, a tool for knitting, not as sharp as a sewing needle * Sewing needle, a long slender tool with a pointed tip * Trussing needle, a long sle ...

(''Cabo de la Aguja'') until the

Gulf of Urabá The Gulf of Urabá is a gulf on the northern coast of Colombia. It is part of the Caribbean Sea. It is a long, wide inlet located on the coast of Colombia, close to the connection of the continent to the Isthmus of Panama. The town of Turbo, C ...

, was explored for the first time. In 1514, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta was explored and on July 29, 1525, day of Santa Martha, her sister María and her brother Lázaro, the oldest colonial city of South America; Santa Marta, was founded by

. Chronicler Juan de Castellanos visited Taganga in 1534. In the 17th century, at the time of the ''

encomienda The ''encomienda'' () was a Spanish labour system that rewarded conquerors with the labour of conquered non-Christian peoples. The labourers, in theory, were provided with benefits by the conquerors for whom they laboured, including military ...

s'', the area from Santa Marta to

Riohacha Riohacha (; Wayuu: ) is a city in the Riohacha Municipality in the northern Caribbean Region of Colombia by the mouth of the Ranchería River and the Caribbean Sea. It is the capital city of the La Guajira Department. It has a sandy beach wa ...

was ruled by governor Diego Fernández de Argote y Córdoba. The church of Taganga was built after the

hermitage Hermitage, The Hermitage or L'Hermitage may refer to: * Hermitage (religious retreat), a place of religious seclusion Places * The Hermitage Museum (est. 1754), in Saint Petersburg, Russia * The Hermitage (Nashville, Tennessee), the estate ...

made of clay was destroyed in the

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...

of May 22, 1834. The earthquake was the result of

tectonic Tectonics (; ) are the processes that control the structure and properties of the Earth's crust and its evolution through time. These include the processes of mountain building, the growth and behavior of the strong, old cores of continents ...

movements of the Oca Fault.

Modern history

Until the 1950s, Taganga was an isolated fishing village due to the lack of road access from Santa Marta. In 1988 there was only one hotel in Taganga. Since August 1998 Taganga is a separate corregimiento again and on December 12, 2014, Taganga was incorporated into a locality for improvement of the local conditions. 1998
Taganga separate corregimiento again
- El Tiempo 2015
Taganga locality 2
/ref> Pollution of the sea and projects for water treatment have gotten the attention of the authorities in the 21st century. Taganga, located on the southern edge of the Tayrona National Park, suffers from

illegal construction Illegal construction (also known as illegal building or illegal housing) is construction work (or the result of such) without a valid construction permit. Besides the potential technical hazards on uncontrolled construction sites and in finished ...

in the park area, designated protected land. The village has a cultural center organizing festivities for the local residents. The center was established in 2004. West of the football pitch of Taganga, since 2015 a park is under construction.

Sex and drug tourism

In 2015, an Israeli ex-soldier constructed a large hotel complex, including bars, swimming pool and tennis court, to accommodate Israeli travelers, notably ex-soldiers who ended their military service. In 2017, the hotel became increasingly known for providing drugs and prostitutes to its customers, as well as organizing orgy-like parties. Some of the prostitutes were minors. At the end of 2017, the owner was summoned to a migration office in Santa Marta, arrested and deported after presenting a risk to ″public safety and social tranquillity″. Following the arrest, locals found that the security has improved.

Economy

Main economical activity of the traditional village is fishing. The majority of the local population is active in the fishing industry with fishermen leaving the harbour early in the morning. The fishing boats are small wooden kayaks where three people row and one has a dragging net of wide and to deep.

Commercial fishing

These and other fish species are caught around Taganga: * ''

Centropomus undecimalis The common snook (''Centropomus undecimalis'') is a species of marine fish in the family Centropomidae of the order Perciformes. The common snook is also known as the sergeant fish or robalo. It was originally assigned to the sciaenid genus '' S ...

'', ''róbalo''; common snook * ''

Eugerres plumieris ''Eugerres'' is a genus of fish in the family Gerreidae, the mojarras. The genus was erected by David Starr Jordan and Barton Warren Evermann in 1927. They are native to the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the Americas, occurring mainly in salt ...

'', ''mojarra rayada''; mojarra * ''

Mugil incilis ''Mugil'' is a genus of mullet in the family Mugilidae found worldwide in tropical and temperate coastal marine waters, but also entering estuaries and rivers. Species There are currently 16 recognized species in this genus: * ''Mugil bananensi ...

'', ''mojarra lisa''; Parassi mullet * ''

Megalops atlanticus The Atlantic tarpon (''Megalops atlanticus'') is a ray-finned fish that inhabits coastal waters, estuaries, lagoons, and rivers. It is also known as the silver king. It is found in the Atlantic Ocean, typically in tropical and subtropical regions ...

'', ''sábalo''; Atlantic tarpon

Tourism

Since the construction of the road to Santa Marta in 1953, Taganga has been growing to become an important touristic village with numerous hotels, hostels and restaurant arising in the late 20th and early 21st century. The character of the backpacker hotspot is bohemian with various

mural A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spani ...

s decorating the village. Most of the streets are unpaved. Especially famous for Taganga are its sunsets; people come from Santa Marta to watch them on the beach. The colours can vary from orange to pink, depending on the atmospheric conditions. Friction between the traditional local population of the village and the growing hostel industry mostly by foreign investments has been present in the 20th and 21st century.

Diving

Taganga is the starting point for one of the main dive locations of Colombia. The Malpelo and Gorgona Island reserves are the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

dive sites of the country, while diving around San Andrés y Providencia, the

Rosario and San Bernardo Corals National Natural Park The Rosario and San Bernardo Corals National Natural Park ( es, Parque Nacional Natural Corales del Rosario y San Bernardo) is a natural park located in the Sucre and Bolívar Departments on the coast of the Caribbean Region of Colombia, 45 ...

off the coast of Cartagena and in Tayrona Park is done in the Caribbean. More than ten dive centers offer courses of all levels at low cost in Taganga. The prices are among the lowest of the Caribbean, competing with

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

and

Utila Utila ''(Isla de Utila)'' is the smallest of Honduras' major Bay Islands, after Roatán and Guanaja, in a region that marks the south end of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, the second-largest in the world. The eastern end of the island ...

, Honduras. 2013
Diving in Taganga
- El Tiempo Various types of

coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secre ...

sponge Sponges, the members of the phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), are a basal animal clade as a sister of the diploblasts. They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate throug ...

sea turtle Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerhe ...

s, molluscs,

crustacea Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean gro ...

ns and over 129 species of fish have been identified in the waters around Taganga and Tayrona Park. Most of the diving is concentrated around ''Isla Aguja'' ("Needle Island"). Underwater fauna that can be encountered in the vicinity of Taganga are among others: * ''

Hippocampus reidi The slender seahorse or longsnout seahorse (''Hippocampus reidi'') is a species of fish in the family Syngnathidae that usually inhabits subtropical regions. Description The slender seahorses have a gestation period of around two weeks and typ ...

'', ''cabillito de mar''; slender seahorse 2010
Underwater fauna Taganga
/ref> * ''

Hippocampus erectus The lined seahorse (''Hippocampus erectus''), northern seahorse or spotted seahorse, is a species of fish that belongs to the family Syngnathidae. ''H. erectus'' is a diurnal species with an approximate length of and lifespan of one to four ye ...

'', lined seahorse * ''

Pterois volitans The red lionfish (''Pterois volitans'') is a venomous coral reef fish in the family Scorpaenidae, order Scorpaeniformes. It is mainly native to the Indo-Pacific region, but has become an invasive species in the Caribbean Sea, as well as along the ...

'', ''pez león''; red lionfish (invasive species, hunted) 2010
Lion fish hunt in Taganga
/ref> * ''

Sphyraena barracuda ''Sphyraena barracuda'', commonly known as the great barracuda, is a species of barracuda: large, predatory ray-finned fish found in subtropical oceans around the world. Distribution and habitat The great barracuda is present in tropical to wa ...

'', ''gran barracuda''; great barracuda * ''

Stegastes partitus ''Stegastes partitus'' or the bicolor damselfish is a species of bony fish in the family Pomacentridae Pomacentridae is a family of ray-finned fish, comprising the damselfishes and clownfishes. This family were formerly placed in the order ...

''; bicolor damselfishCuadrado González, 2002, pp.49-57 * ''

Acanthurus bahianus The ocean surgeon or ocean surgeonfish (''Acanthurus bahianus'') is a tropical fish known to live in reefs in the western Atlantic Ocean, especially the Caribbean Sea. It is sometimes marketed fresh as a food item,Baensch, H.A. and H. Debelius ( ...

''; ocean surgeon * ''

Chromis cyanea ''Chromis cyanea'' (blue chromis) is a damselfish in the subfamily ''Pomacentrinae'', found in Bermuda, southern Florida and the Caribbean Sea. It is collected for the aquarium trade. Habitat and ecology Being a shallow water fish, the blu ...

''; blue chromis * ''

Sparisoma aurofrenatum ''Sparisoma aurofrenatum'' (common names: redband parrotfish, gutong, rainbow parrot, black parrot, and blisterside) is a species of parrotfish native to the Caribbean Sea and Western Atlantic Ocean. Description This species grows to 28 cm. ...

''; redband parrotfish * ''

Myripristis jacobus ''Myripristis jacobus'', the blackbar soldierfish, is a soldierfish from the Western Atlantic. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 25 cm in length. ''Myripristis jacobus'' can be located in a marine ...

''; blackbar soldierfish * ''

Halichoeres garnoti The yellowhead wrasse (''Halichoeres garnoti'') is a fish species belonging to wrasse family native to shallow tropical waters in the Caribbean Sea and western Atlantic Ocean. Description The yellowhead wrasse is a small sized fish that can rea ...

''; yellowhead wrasse * ''

Haemulon flavolineatum ''Haemulon flavolineatum'', the French grunt, banana grunt, gold laced grunt, open-mouthed grunt, redmouth grunt, or yellow grunt, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grunt belonging to the family Haemulidae. It is native to the western A ...

''; French grunt * '' Chaetodon sedentarius''; reef butterflyfish * ''

Abudefduf saxatilis The sergeant major or píntano (''Abudefduf saxatilis'') is a species of damselfish. It grows to a maximum length of about . Distribution and habitat ''Abudefduf saxatilis'' is found in the Atlantic Ocean. Populations in the western part of the ...

''; sergeant major * ''

Acanthurus coeruleus ''Acanthurus coeruleus'' is a surgeonfish found commonly in the Atlantic Ocean. It can grow up to long.Figueiredo, J.L. and N.A. Menezes, (2000). ''Manual de peixes marinhos do sudeste do Brasil. VI. Teleostei (5)''. Museu de Zoologia, Universid ...

''; blue tang * ''

Canthigaster rostrata ''Canthigaster rostrata'', commonly known as the Caribbean sharp-nose puffer, is a pufferfish from the Western Central Atlantic. The Caribbean sharp-nose puffer is a small fish with a maximum length of 12 cm or approximately 4.7 inches. It ...

''; Caribbean sharp-nose puffer * ''

Haemulon chrysargyreum ''Haemulon chrysargyreum'', the smallmouth grunt, bronze grunt, or yellowstripe grunt, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grunt belonging to the family Haemulidae. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean. Description ''H. chrysargyreum ...

''; yellowstripe grunt * ''

Mulloidichthys martinicus The yellow goatfish (''Mulloidichthys martinicus''), also known as yellowsaddle, is a species of goatfish native to the Atlantic Ocean around the coasts of Africa and the Americas. This species can reach a total length of , but most reach lengt ...

''; yellow goatfish * ''

Bodianus rufus The Spanish hogfish, ''Bodianus rufus'', is a species of wrasse native to the western Atlantic Ocean, where it can be found from North Carolina and Bermuda through the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico to southern Brazil. It inhabits coral ...

''; Spanish hogfish * ''

Pseudupeneus maculatus ''Pseudupeneus maculatus'', the spotted goatfish, is a species from the family Mullidae. The species was originally described by Marcus Elieser Bloch Marcus Elieser Bloch (1723–1799) was a German physician and naturalist who is best known f ...

''; spotted goatfish * ''

Sparisoma viride The stoplight parrotfish (''Sparisoma viride'') is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a parrotfish from the family Scaridae, inhabiting coral reefs in Florida, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Bermuda and as far south as Brazil. It mainly feeds ...

''; stoplight parrotfish * ''

Thalassoma bifasciatum ''Thalassoma bifasciatum'', the bluehead, bluehead wrasse or blue-headed wrasse, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a wrasse from the family Labridae. It is native to the coral reefs of the tropical waters of the western Atlantic Ocean. ...

''; bluehead wrasse * ''

Synodus intermedius ''Synodus intermedius'', the common sand diver,Sand diver
at Ocyurus chrysurus The yellowtail snapper (''Ocyurus chrysurus'') is an abundant species of snapper native to the western Atlantic Ocean including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. Although they have been found as far north as Massachusetts, their normal r ...

''; yellowtail snapper * ''

Holocentrus adscensionis ''Holocentrus adscensionis'' is a squirrelfish of the family Holocentridae found in the Atlantic Ocean. Its range extends from North Carolina, USA to Brazil and throughout the Caribbean Sea in the Western Atlantic and from Gabon to Ascension Is ...

''; squirrelfish * ''

Pomacanthus arcuatus The gray angelfish (''Pomacanthus arcuatus''), also written as grey angelfish and known in Jamaica as the pot cover, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the marine angelfish family, Pomacanthidae. It is found in the Western Atla ...

''; gray angelfish * ''

Clepticus parrae The creole wrasse (''Clepticus parrae'') is a species of wrasse native to the western Atlantic Ocean. Description The creole wrasse is a small wrasse, with males reaching around 30 cm (1 ft) in length, while females are smaller. It ha ...

''; Creole wrasse * ''

Diodon holocanthus Porcupinefishes or balloonfishes, are any of the various species of the genus ''Diodon'', the type genus of Diodontidae. Distinguishing features Fish of the genus ''Diodon'' have: * two-rooted, movable spines (which are derived from modified s ...

''; longspined porcupinefish * ''

Chaetodon ocellatus The spotfin butterflyfish (''Chaetodon ocellatus'') is species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish from the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean, in the Gulf of Mexico and most commonly found in the Caribbean S ...

''; spotfin butterflyfish * ''

Microspathodon chrysurus The yellowtail damselfish (''Microspathodon chrysurus'') is a species of damselfish native to tropical areas such as the Caribbean coast of Panama. Damselfish are abundant in coral reef environments. The International Union for Conservation of Na ...

''; jewel damselfish * ''

Serranus tabacarius ''Serranus'' is a genus of fish in the family Serranidae. It is one of five genera known commonly as the "Atlantic dwarf sea basses". These fish are hermaphrodites, each individual possessing functional male and female reproductive tissues. W ...

''; tobaccofish * ''

Amblycirrhitus pinos ''Amblycirrhitus'' is a genus of ray-finned fishes, hawkfishes belonging to the family Cirrhitidae. These fishes are found on tropical reefs worldwide. Taxonomy ''Amblycirrhitus'' was originally described as a genus in 1862 by the American icht ...

''; redspotted hawkfish * ''

Prognathodes aculeatus ''Prognathodes aculeatus'', the longsnout butterflyfish, is a species of butterflyfish found in tropical West Atlantic waters. It is also known as the butterbun, the Caribbean longsnout butterflyfish or Poey's butterflyfish. This species shou ...

''; longsnout butterflyfish * ''

Holocanthus ciliaris The queen angelfish (''Holacanthus ciliaris''), also known as the blue angelfish, golden angelfish, or yellow angelfish, is a species of marine angelfish found in the western Atlantic Ocean. It is a benthic (ocean floor) warm-water species that ...

''; queen angelfish * '' Scarus taeniopterus''; princess parrotfish * ''

Chaetodon striatus The banded butterflyfish (''Chaetodon striatus'') is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish found in the tropical western Atlantic Ocean from Brazil to Bermuda. Common names include the banded butterflyfish, the butterbun, the butte ...

''; banded butterflyfish * ''

Scarus iseri Scarus iseri is a species of fish of the family Scaridae. Its common names include striped parrotfish. The species was described by Bloch Bloch is a surname of German origin. Notable people with this surname include: A–F * (1859-1914), Fren ...

''; striped parrotfish * ''

Lactophrys triqueter ''Lactophrys triqueter'' also known as the smooth trunkfish, is a species of boxfish found on and near reefs in the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico and subtropical parts of the western Atlantic Ocean.Matsuura, K. (2014): Taxonomy and systematics of ...

''; smooth trunkfish * ''

Cephalopholis cruentata The graysby (''Cephalopholis cruentata'') is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is in the family Serranidae which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It is found in the western Atlantic. It ...

''; graysby * ''

Chaetodon capistratus The foureye butterflyfish (''Chaetodon capistratus'') is a butterflyfish (family Chaetodontidae). It is alternatively called the four-eyed butterflyfish. This species is found in the Western Atlantic from Massachusetts, USA and Bermuda to the Wes ...

''; foureye butterflyfish * ''

Holacanthus tricolor The rock beauty (''Holacanthus tricolor''), also known as corn sugar, coshubba, rock beasty, catalineta, and yellow nanny, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It is found in the wester ...

''; rock beauty * ''

Pomacanthus paru The French angelfish (''Pomacanthus paru'') is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It occurs in the Western Atlantic Ocean. Description The French angelfish has a laterally compressed bo ...

''; French angelfish * ''

Haemulon plumierii ''Haemulon plumierii'', the white grunt or common grunt, is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Haemulidae native to the western Atlantic Ocean. It grows to a length of about and is a silvery-cream color, with narrow yellow and blue longi ...

''; white grunt * ''

Acanthostracion polygonius The honeycomb cowfish (''Acanthostracion polygonius'') belongs to family Ostraciidae. It is also known simply as the trunkfish or cowfish. Description The honeycomb cowfish has armor-like, hexagonal scales covering most of its body. It is nam ...

''; honeycomb cowfish * ''

Gymnothorax moringa The spotted moray (''Gymnothorax moringa'') is a medium to large moray eel. Other common names include conger, spotted eel, red moray, speckled moray, white cong, white jawed moray, white-chinned moray and white-jawed moray eel. Spotted eels ...

''; spotted moray

Gallery

File:Iglesia de Taganga 001.jpg, Church of Taganga File:Virgen del Rosario de Taganga..jpg, Church interior File:Taganga 2014-09-21 (3).jpg, View of Taganga, 2014 File:Taganga22.JPG, View of Taganga harbour from the north File:Taganga 2014-09-21 (2).jpg, Fishing boats in Taganga harbour

Panoramas

References

Bibliography

* * * * *

External links

Taganga on Lonely Planet

Diving in Taganga
{{Recreational dive sites, reereg Santa Marta Tourist attractions in Magdalena Department Populated places in the Magdalena Department Populated places established in 1525 1525 establishments in the Spanish Empire Fishing communities Underwater diving sites in the Caribbean Underwater diving sites in Colombia