Two days in Bogotá has given us enough time to tick off the key sights and we’ll be back to explore another vibrant area of the city at the end of our trip. So today we’re heading north into the beautiful Boyaca district of the country, which is rich in colonial history and the scene of some of the most important moments and figures in the fight for Latin American independence from Spanish rule.
Our driver, also called William, picks us up and we drive through rush hour traffic out past the huge El Campin Stadium, which has played host to the likes of the Rolling Stones, Madonna and Coldplay, and where Iron Maiden have just broken all sales records by selling it out in less than 21 minutes for their gig next year. Impressive.
We stop at the side of the road in the northern outskirts of the city to pick up Adriana, and are soon heading into lovely countryside, past huge flower farms. Adriana tells us that Colombia is the world’s second biggest exporter of flowers after the Netherlands, and that the majority of flowers in the USA for Valentine’s Day will have been grown in Colombia.
About ninety minutes after we leave the hotel we reach the town of Zipaquirá, which has become famous due to the salt mines that its economy was built on, and more importantly the huge underground salt cathedral that was built within the mines. It now boasts that the Catedral de Sal is Colombia’s no.1 tourist attraction, and Adriana tells us that at times it can be so crowded it’s almost impossible to move in there. Fortunately it’s a quiet morning and we almost have the place to ourselves.
And what a place! Entering past a large bronze statue of a naked miner, we descend through tunnels lit by multicoloured lights which flash the flags of the world and walk a kilometre passing modern interpretations of the Stations of the Cross as we go. The very simple but profound pieces, carved into the rock salt, are unexpectedly moving and thought provoking, but nothing prepares us for the cavernous expanse of the salt cathedral itself.
First is the Capella de Nuestra Señora, with representations of the Virgin Mary sent from countries all over the world, and which apparently hosts society weddings. And then the main event is the incredible main expanse of the cathedral nave and altar with an enormous crucifix carved into the wall. As we enter we are treated to a son-et-lumiere experience projected above us which, again, is profoundly moving, especially as we pretty much have the entire cathedral space to ourselves.
We round off our visit with excellent coffee and churros in the underground shopping area then visit the town’s Plaza de la Independencia and its rather unique brick church, where we say goodbye to Adriana who is taking the bus back to Bogotá. We get back into the car with William and continue our journey into the Boyaca region, full of beautiful lush countryside and farmland, passing a huge Bavaria brewery which makes the local Poker beer and driving on through the rolling foothills of the Andes for ninety minutes or so.
It’s almost 2pm by the time we stop at Refugio del Sisgo restaurant where we have lunch overlooking a stunning artificial lake. And it’s another hour before we reach the monuments of Puente de Boyaca at Casa de Teja. These commemorate the battle of 1819, where the republican armies led by Simon Bolivar fought for independence against the royalist armies of Spain. Their decisive victory was the turning point for the liberation of ‘New Granada’ (northern South America) and was soon followed by similar victories in what are now Venezuela, Ecuador and Peru.
From here we turn off the main road and venture along smaller winding roads and little villages, through dairy farms, fields of potatoes and the town of Samaca before reaching a dramatic landscape of plunging ravines and huge rocky escarpments. Throughout, the vegetation keeps changing, providing ever-more examples of the abundant biodiversity of just this small part of Colombia.
Eventually in the late afternoon we reach our destination of Villa de Leyva, a stunning colonial town, founded by the Spanish in 1572, and still boasting many original buildings. We check into the Villa Roma Hotel, where it seems we are the only guests, say goodbye to William, our driver, and dump our bags. As it’s still light we decide to explore a little and walk into the historical heart of the town and are instantly wowed by its beauty.
The main attraction is the Plaza Mayor, which is one of the biggest public squares in the whole of Latin America, at an astounding 14000 square metres. It really is vast, and as dusk starts to fall, huge dark clouds are gathering overhead.
We poke our heads into the impressive Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Rosaria, built in the 17th century, and are entertained by the huge animatronic nativity it has on display. And throughout the town, fantastic Christmas lights start to switch on, illuminating every street.
After a quick return to the hotel we head out once more for dinner at Mercado Municipal which Adriana had recommended and are wowed by the food and setting in its garden. We tuck into wood fired artichokes with a goat’s yoghurt dip, guacamole with vegetable crisps, and a fig & beetroot salad with goat’s cheese. They also serve us a fabulous Malbec. It’s expensive by Colombian standards but still a fraction of what we’d pay back home.
The next day, we are met by our new guide, Carmen, and a driver called Diego who helpfully has his name emblazoned on both his baseball cap and his vehicle. Carmen tells us she used to live in Bogotá but the pandemic and a divorce led her to move here with her widowed mother for a different pace of life.
She’s extremely laidback and declares Villa de Leyva to be paradise, and during Hispanic times it was a retreat for the rich to relax in, away from Bogotá’s hustle and bustle. It’s still the same now, with Villa de Leyva thronged at the weekends with wealthy Bogotanas (or ‘Rolas’). Plaza Mayor will even host this year’s national New Year’s Eve concert, beamed live across the country.
Fortunately it’s far more tranquil during our visit with locals and a few tourists wandering the streets. We start our day by heading out of the town with Diego to El Fosíl, a museum built in situ of the discovery by a local farmer in 1977 of an almost intact eight-metre fossilised skeleton, named a Kronosaurus, dating from 110 million years ago. The entire region had been known for centuries for its rich fossil remains, with locals even decorating their houses with them, but this find ignited the world of palaeontology and has drawn scientists here ever since.
It’s pretty impressive but we’re here to see the town rather than fossils so Diego drops us back in the historic centre and says farewell until tomorrow, leaving Carmen to guide us around. We start back in Plaza Mayor, having coffee and people-watching while she takes us through the history of this ‘Pueblo Patrimonio’ - town of national importance.
Originally the indigenous peoples would gather in this spot for astronomical purposes, gazing at the amazing night skies, and this continued through colonial times, with an annual astronomy festival still being held to this day in Plaza Mayor every January. In the City Hall, which overlooks the square, we see many photos on the walls of the old hacienda showcasing the many films that have been shot in Villa de Leyva’s centre, including the Colombian historical classic ‘Chronicles of a Tragic Generation’ in 1993.
Carmen tells the civic staff that Coman and I are international celebrities so we are allowed on to the mayor’s balcony to take photos of Plaza Mayor, and then are treated to some coca tea in a nearby arcade. Lots of spiritual and alternative people base themselves in Villa de Leyva, believing ley lines run through the heart of the town connecting it with other sacred sites around the world, and there’s a roaring trade in quartz and crystals in the myriad souvenir shops. We settle for a fridge magnet.
By now the hot sunshine is beating down on the beautiful cobbled streets, with the whitewashed buildings and balconies looking stunning. Everywhere are cafes, restaurants and shops, housed in pretty colonial buildings and courtyards, highlighting what a picture-postcard tourist attraction Villa de Leyva has become. But its rich history is showcased in a glorious Carmelite convent, which still houses over 20 nuns, and where, over 200 years ago, Simon Bolivar sought refuge ahead of the final battle of Boyacá Bridge.
Walking through further back streets and tranquil green spaces where butterflies flutter, we come to Parque de Antonio Ricuarte, dedicated to another hero of independence, and son of Villa de Leyva, who under bombardment from the Spanish, strapped his brigade’s explosives to himself and saved his men by detonating himself amongst the Spanish. And later, after saying goodbye to Carmen, we visit the Museo de Antonio Nariño, the man who ignited the whole South American independence movement.
Inspired by the French Revolution, he translated the Declaration of Human Rights into Spanish for the first time in the 1790s and set up a newspaper in Bogotá to disseminate the ideas. Imprisoned four times by the Spanish to try and suppress the fight for freedom and equality, he spent 21 years of his life in jail, but also fought alongside Bolivar and other Heroes of the Independence. At the end of his life, and unable to face the horrors of war, he made Villa de Leyva his home and his house is now the museum. He died aged 58 in 1823, two hundred years ago.
After taking it all in, we opt for a relaxing afternoon, with a leisurely lunch at Palo o Santo, and a gentle stroll around the streets, helping us get our breath back after a full-on few days. That evening we have dinner at a lovely restaurant called La Maria on Parque de Nariño, with an exquisite meal of char-grilled broccoli followed by a peach, roasted peppers and goats cheese salad. And we round off the night with a glass of wine at El Secreto bar in Plaza Mayor while various singers and guitarists entertain the people in the square.
Villa de Leyva has charm in abundance and is the perfect first taste of a more tranquil pace of Colombian life. Tomorrow we are due to discover an even more enchanting town.
