THE MOST COLORFUL TOWN IN COLOMBIA?
Guatape’ is known as “the most colorful town in Colombia” (Although Getsemani, which is just outside the wall of Centro Historico in Cartegena, comes in a close second).
Guatape’ is a tourist town
Know for it’s colorful Zocolo images that skirt the bottom of many homes, or the ornately patterned three-wheeled Motochivas that taxi tourists and locals alike all over the place, or the immense Penol Granite Rock that rises above the surrounding resevoir providing stunning views. All these things are awesome, but what stuck out to me is….
… the local kids seem happy.
Walking on the outskirts of town I pass a huge play area surrounded by a track with tiny kids whizzing around on rollerblades, a well tended soccer field abounding with families, and a Music/Arts school that has murals all over it….drumming, jazz band, dance, weight lifting, are all obserable as I pass by.
This stuff is not for the tourists.
Families walk together to school in the morning. The play yards are riffing. There is a local pride and social cohesion that has not been obliterated by the tourist dollar. Sure, money from tourism probably makes possible much of the infrastructure, but my feeling is that the local people have their priorities straight.
Guatape had a clear sense of cultural identity before their was tourism, and it seems to be still here. No one hassles you to come to their restuarant, or to take a taxi, or buy souvenirs. It’s relaxed.
They take their color seriously here
Even the church, Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen, Guatape, changes color at night.
The Zocolos
Augusto working on a Zocolo that he created. I talked with him a couple of times. He sculpts the image in relief, then makes a cast of it (a negative), then pours cement into the negative and when dry, appllies the cement positive to the wall. Then it is painted.
Zocolos serve a practical aspect, in that they are a concrete skirting, which protects the buildings from water damage, but in 1919, a family started decorating the panels, with images that had significance for the family ( or something like that) and the tradition took hold.
As you walk around the town, you can see that they are all unique, handmade and have significance for the owners of the home or business.
A communal artistic tradtion becomes world famous. The power of art to transform and to keep one grounded at the same time. Art is very practical.
MotoChivas!
They fit two adults max (plus driver) and they are colorful inside and out (except for the white ones…not sure what their deal is).
El Penol
A view of El Penol from right outside my place.
Known as one of the biggest rocks in the world, It takes about 750 steps to get to the top of this thing. It’s a good workout. It is a natural wonder, but it is a bit disappointing to get to the top of it, and have cafes and food stands and souvenir shops. That definitely drains the magic. There is plenty of that at the base.
Still….the view is pretty breathtaking…. (Video linked)
And lastly, the clouds here are amazing.
Every afternoon they put on a show, and my balcony is front row. I walked out one afternoon and almost fell over by the site of a looming thunderhead. Below is a video that displays my agape.
