Road Trip Through Boyaca

Colombia is a country of wide variety and to best understand that you must travel to different departments (similar to the states in the U.S) within the country. Bogota, where most of our travels have been so far, is located in the central Andean department of Cuindinamarca. Next door to the north lies the occasionally overlooked by foreigners department of Boyaca.

Our day trip began by leaving Bogota in the early morning to avoid the inconvenient "pico y placa", a system where drivers are alternatively prohibited from driving during certain times on odd or even numbered days depending on the last number of the license plate. It is an effort to decrease traffic which I have never seen work successfully in 23 years. Once out of the city, we were in the beautiful mountainous countryside. Passing through the small towns of Chia, Cajica, and others is a treat as you encounter idyllic farms, colonial haciendas, and historic houses.

The sixteenth century painting of La Virgen de Chiquinquira.

Our first stop was the small town of Chiquinquira, located in the south border region of Boyca. Considered the religious capitol of Colombia, the main attraction in this otherwise sleepy town in the basilica in the heart of town. The Basilica of Chiquinquira draws Colombians from around the country because it is the location of the 1586 apparition of La Virgen de Chiquinquira, now considered the patron saint of the nation. Within the basilica is sixteenth century painting representing the patron saint that is considered a holy relic. Interestingly, this painting was created using native spun cloth and located sources paints, giving the painting a connection to the local people of Colombia. Today, pilgrims come to the basilica asking the relic for favors and in return offer prayers and devotion.

The current basilica was build in the 1920's after the Virgen de Chiquinquira, and her painting, were officially ordained as the patron saint of Colombia in 1919. The basilica, built a couple miles away from the original apparition site, was constructed with the intent and purpose of housing the sacred painting. Next to the basilica is the University of Saint Thomas that houses a large collection of religious artifacts from Chinquiquira in their museum. Well worth the 2 thousand peso entry fee (roughly 75 cents in USD), the museum explains the history of the church and the apparition as well as allowing you to view the room in which Pope John Paul II stayed during his visit to the small town.

Raquira is a town of colors and creativity.

After lunch and pictures in the plaza, we were off to our main destination, Raquira. A little village famous for its artisans and crafts, yet the town is easy to miss. The artisan and commercial district is no more than three blocks including the main plaza. Despite its size, we were mesmerized by the variety of crafts that are so typical of Colombia and this region. The hardest decision was deciding what to buy and which store to buy it from. Remembering our luggage weight limit, I decided to stick with simple and small. However, the most curious thing about this town and the thing that still remains a mystery to me and my family is the amount of naked and phallic statues around town. They were everywhere and no one could answer me why. A cousin of mine, who visit the town at least once a year, attributed it to a fertile environment.

My favorite stop from the entire trip. A town that is so well preserved that it deceives visitors and keeps history alive.

After shopping and miraculously fitting everything we bought in the car, we took off to our final destination, Villa de Leyva. If you've never been to Cartagena, then at least come here. When you think of a romantic historical colonial town, this is what you imagine. A town in which all houses (all built before the 1700's) are painting white with colorful trims, where colorful flowers grow and hang off the walls and roofs, and where even the flowers are famous for emitting a "romantic" smell called "la noche del caballero." Park where you can and then get lost in the town. We began in the famous plaza, which by the time we got there at night, was lit up and coming to life with music, street performers, and horse drawn carriages. This colonial town was founded in 1572 and with the way the buildings and original streets are preserved it is easy to forget what time period you are really in. There is a reason this city is now popular with engaged and honeymooning couples. Our time there was too brief. We had planned to get back to Bogota by 10pm but we found ourselves wandering the streets, talking about the history of different buildings, and enjoying the sights that were all new to me late into the night. We would arrive in Bogota closer to midnight. In the future, Villa de Leyva will have to be revisited and the stay will be much longer than several hours.