Like so many colonial settlements of this nature, the island of Mompós was settled due to its favorable location along the river and the absence of unfriendly indigenous tribes. Mompós grew considerably during the colonial era when the Magdalena River was the fastest route to Honda and subsequently Bogotá. Several days from Cartagena, the town became a center for contraband. It is said that more money passed through Mompós than through Cartagena, thanks to the bootlegging of precious metals, tobacco and alcohol either en route to or from the Ecuadorian port of Guayaquil. Mompós' history is further connected to that of Latin America as a whole in that Simon Bolivar stayed here several times (a fact built into The General in His Labyrinth, Gabriel Garcia Marquez) and raised an army from willing Momposino volunteers. It is debatable how many of these eager souls actually made the full journey to Caracas after feeling the cold of the highlands, but Bolivar did proclaim, "If to Caracas I owe my life, to Mompós I owe my glory." The aforementioned are high points in the history of this colonial wonderland, but all this came to an end when the river changed its course somewhat and fluvial travel became less important.