Despite the fact that the great navigator Christopher Columbus discovered, in fact, two continents, only a small state in South America was named after him. The country of Colombia does not have a very good reputation among those who prefer word of mouth as their source of information. For people who are accustomed to taking into account more serious arguments, the country is often included in the tourist plans, because there is something to do and what to see. In Colombia, you will find many natural attractions, architectural monuments and museums, the expositions of which are worthy of the highest positions in the world rankings.
TOP 10 attractions of Colombia
Las Lajas
Las Lajas Cathedral in the Colombian mountains, 10 km from the border with Ecuador, is not for nothing called one of the main architectural monuments of Colombia. Hundreds of tourists come every day to see the castle-like church built on a bridge over the Guaitara River canyon.
The legend tells an amazing story about healing, and then salvation from the death of a deaf and dumb girl, which happened in the middle of the 18th century. at this very place. On the rock next to the cave, where the miracle happened, the face of the Mother of God with the baby appeared, and the girl's mother hurried to tell her fellow villagers about the rock icon. The image was named Senora de las Lajas, and an arched bridge was thrown across the canyon, on which the temple was built.
The church is called a symbol of harmony between Ecuador and Colombia, but pilgrims arrive at the temple in the hope of healing: the icon on the rock is still clearly visible and, according to the testimony of the happily recovered, helps to overcome any disease. The main thing is to believe in a miracle.
Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira
Another unusual religious building in Colombia is located in Parque de la Sol. The salt park at the site of salt mining in Colombia includes a church, tanks for evaporating salt crystals, a museum of mineralogy and minerals, and a mine where you can go down to get acquainted with the mining process.
Despite the fact that the Catholic Church does not recognize the temple in Zipaquira as full-fledged, services are held here, and the cathedral itself is recognized as the number one landmark of Colombia. It was built by miners who equipped an altar at the bottom of the mine. Coming down to shift, they offered up prayers for their own salvation and well-being. The altar was gradually expanded, and in the middle of the last century, the chapel turned into a cathedral. Its three parts and 14 chapels in the side chapels tell about the Passion of the Lord, sculptures made by famous masters from South America are kept in the niches. The air in the temple is saturated with salt particles and can be useful for those who suffer from pulmonary diseases.
Archaeological Park of San Agustin
Half a thousand stone idols, found in the valley of the Magdalena River between the Cordillera ridges, became the reason for the creation of a national archaeological park near the city of San Agustin. The sculptures, according to experts, resemble the stone idols of Easter Island and therefore are of particular interest.
Particularly impressive specimens are collected in the Forest of Statues. The rocky bank of the Magdalena River is completely lined with drawings and inscriptions made before the onset of a new era. The oldest burial grounds found on a hill in the park are dated to the 6th century. BC e., the rest are not much younger. Stone giants guard the entrances to the sarcophagi, and gold paraphernalia found during excavations adorn the exhibition halls of the Bogotá Gold Museum. If you are interested in pre-Columbian American history, take a look at the Aztec altars with statues of the moon gods.
Coffee park
Another thematic reserve in Colombia is located near the town of Montenegro and is dedicated to the culture and traditions of growing the grains of the most popular non-alcoholic drink in both Americas. An interactive exposition helps the tourist to trace the whole process, in which each stage is presented in detail. There is also a farmer's estate with a viewing tower on the territory of the park. There is a site for visitors at a height of 18 m.
Surprisingly, in addition to the informative part of the program, guests will also find a rich entertainment program. There are attractions in the Coffee Park, among which there is a roller coaster, a Ferris wheel and a cable car that lifts visitors above the park. In the reserve, exotic shows with an ethnic bias are constantly held. Once at such a holiday, visitors will be able to look at the customs and traditions of the inhabitants of Colombia and plunge into an authentic environment.
Ciudad Perdida
The lost Indian city in the north of the country was opened to tourists only in 2005. Until that time, Ciudad Perdida was hiding in the jungle, and the indigenous people were not too eager to share information about it with civilization.
Historians are sure that the first people came to these rocks in the 8th century BC, and several thousand people then lived in Ciudad Perdida. In the process of colonization of the territory of Colombia by the Spaniards, the inhabitants of the ancient city went deep into the continent, and the remaining values were gradually plundered and sold in the markets by the peasants of the surrounding villages, who discovered the settlement in the 70s. last century.
Among other structures on the archaeological site, there are agricultural terraces that rise upward with ledges, stone circles that were once the foundations of dwellings, and stones with images carved on them. You can get to the city by stone steps, which will have to be overcome on foot. There are more than 1200 of them.
Cliff El Peñon de Guatapé
The inhabitants of the cities of El Peñon and Guatape gave the name to the huge stone jointly, because the rock is located right between them. The legends of the Tachamis Indians explained its origin as a sacred fish that jumped out of the sea, petrified in the struggle with the heavenly gods. They were angry with the takhamis, and the Batolita fish took the side of the tribe.
The height of the giant, soaring into the sky above the valley, is 220 m, moreover, more than half of El Peñon de Guatapé is located underground.
A staircase set by the Colombians in a natural depression of the stone leads to the top of the cliff. From a distance, it looks like the lacing that ladies tightened corsets on ball gowns. Everyone ascends to the top, but it is worth remembering that the physical form must be at its best. The El Peñón de Guatape viewpoint is approximately 35th floor level. The reward for your efforts will be lunch at a restaurant on the top or a view of the picturesque surroundings.
Gold museum
Since ancient times, the indigenous tribes inhabiting Colombia considered gold to be a sacred metal. As it seemed to them, it transmitted the energy of the sun to people, and therefore all kinds of attributes and decorations were made from gold. The precious metal participated in sacrifices and other rituals. With the arrival of the colonialists, most of the gold of Colombia, like other countries of the Western Hemisphere, was exported to the Old World, and the rest is exhibited today in museums in Latin America. The Bogota Gold Museum is one of the largest themed in the world. Its collection includes 36,000 items of precious metal.
The largest exhibit of the museum is a golden raft, on which figurines of an Indian leader and a dozen of his subordinates are installed. At the stands you will also find gold cutlery and jewelry, household items and fishing gear, ceremonial masks and ritual devices, dishes and jewelry tools. The exhibits date from different periods, but the oldest were made in the II millennium BC.
Colonial Art Museum
The period of colonization of South America did not pass without a trace for its inhabitants. In Colombia, you can look at the Museum of Art exposition, which reflects the atmosphere of that era and presents paintings, jewelry, furniture and other objects created in the period from 1492 to 1810 to the audience.
The basis of the collection is a collection of drawings and paintings by the famous Latin American author - Gregorio Vasquez de Arce y Ceballos. He painted his canvases in the 17th century, and his most famous work is called "St. Joseph with the Child." Other artists whose works are on display at the museum have worked in Ecuador and Peru, Mexico and Panama.
In addition to paintings, the museum presents porcelain and glass items, cups and bowls, incense burners and dishes, crowns, scepters, ancient musical instruments and magnificent works of wood and ivory carvers.
National Museum of Colombia
Guests of the country can also look at the picturesque masterpieces in the National Museum of Colombia, which opened in Bogota back in the 1920s. last century. Its exposition includes four sections: archaeological, historical, art history and ethnographic. Among the paintings, you will find paintings by both local artists and their colleagues from Latin America and Europe. The most famous authors whose works adorn the halls of the museum are Ramon Torres Mendes, who wrote in the 19th century. miniature portraits; popular figurative painter of the twentieth century. Fernando Botero; Alejandro Obregon, called one of the greatest modernists of his time; Grigorio Vasquez, who worked in the 17th century. Lovers of ancient history will be interested to look at the artifacts found in Colombia and dating back to the 10th millennium BC.
The collection of the museum is located in the building of the former prison Panóptico - a historical building from 1823 with arches and domes, the bodies of which form a cross.
Mint
The numismatic collection of the Bank of the Republic is the name of one of the museums in Bogota. Its exposition illustrates the history of the emergence and development of the Colombian mint, which has existed in the country since 1621. The decree on the establishment of the enterprise was signed by the Spanish monarch Philip III, and a few weeks later the first gold coin in the history of the Western Hemisphere was minted in Colombia. Mechanization came to the Bogotá Mint a century later, when a powerful reconstruction took place at the enterprise. Then the factory for the production of money was rebuilt several times, and in 1996 it was turned into a museum.
A tour of the halls of the Colombian Mint will show the visitor not only coins, but also a variety of items made of precious metals. You will see gold bars, figurines, jewelry and medals.
