The Battle of Cartagena de Indias ( Spanish : Sitio de Cartagena de Indias , lit. 'Siege of Cartagena de Indias') took place during the 1739 to 1748 War of Jenkins' Ear between Spain and Great Britain . The result of long-standing commercial tensions, the war was primarily fought in the Caribbean ; the British tried to capture key Spanish ports in the region, including Porto Bello and Chagres in Panama, Havana , and Cartagena de Indias in present-day Colombia .
