Walking down Calle Mayor in Cartagena feels like stepping through layers of history, each building telling its own story. This was once called the Rua Principal, and locals say the sea waters used to reach right up to its entrance. Whether that's true or not, there's something about this street that makes you understand why it became the city's main artery.

The most fascinating story here belongs to what was once the Botica Picó, a pharmacy that stood for over a century where Dominican monks had lived since 1580. Eduardo Picó transformed this space into much more than a drugstore after 1856. His pharmacy became a meeting point for artists, politicians, and conspirators. The painter Manuel Ussel de Guimbarda gathered here, and so did the progressives of the "Sociedad de los Burros" – a political group that grew to over 500 members.

What really gets me is imagining the secret meetings that took place here during the final crisis of Queen Isabella II's reign. Revolutionary conspirators planning what would become the 1868 Revolution met in this very pharmacy. Juan Prim himself showed up in disguise. These weren't just casual political chats – they were shaping the ideas that would later influence Spain's 1869 Constitution.

The building was demolished in the early 2000s due to its deteriorated state, but archaeologists found Roman remains underneath. The pharmacy's original furniture and fittings survived though, after a bureaucratic saga that's sadly typical. The city couldn't get its act together to preserve this piece of local heritage, so the collection ended up donated to the University of Granada in 2021.

Today's Calle Mayor showcases Víctor Beltrí's modernist architecture beautifully. The Casa Cervantes from 1900 stands out with its white Cartagena-style balconies, while the Casino building incorporates an 18th-century palace with stunning Art Nouveau additions. The ceramic work on Casa Llagostera depicts Minerva and Mercury alongside the coats of arms of Barcelona, Cartagena, Murcia, and Manlleu.

Santo Domingo church anchors the street's far end, where another piece of history unfolds – the Capilla Marraja has been home to one of Cartagena's oldest brotherhoods since 1641. An audio guide can help you catch details you might otherwise miss while exploring this historic thoroughfare.

The street maintains that sense of being Cartagena's ceremonial route, just as it was centuries ago when no carriages were allowed and processions marked the rhythm of city life.