August 25, 2019: The Colonial Cities of Boyaca & Santander, Colombia

Villa de Leyva, Monguí or Barichara are a few examples of the many colonial cities you can find in Santander, northeast of Bogota, Colombia.

The most remarkable landmark of this city is the Plaza Mayor (not named after some famous “Libertador”, surprisingly), 120 meters x 120 meters in size, all cobble stone with a tiny fountain in its center, surrounded by beautifully restored colonial homes.

The most striking is the authenticity of this small “Pueblo”, and how friendly & welcoming people are to the few travelers you can see there.

Barichara takes great pride in its outstanding colonial architecture, and sometimes looks even too perfect to be true… The cobblestone are simply too well arranged, and the facades’ white simply too clean. It is charming nonetheless, an invitation for long and aimless strolls in this museum-like village. The only disturbances are now the many cars parked about everywhere…