{"id":10919,"date":"2013-10-15T09:00:01","date_gmt":"2013-10-15T14:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/?p=10919"},"modified":"2021-08-23T10:55:10","modified_gmt":"2021-08-23T15:55:10","slug":"the-four-best-colonial-towns-for-time-travel-in-colombia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2013\/10\/the-four-best-colonial-towns-for-time-travel-in-colombia\/","title":{"rendered":"The Four Best Colonial Towns for Time Travel in Colombia"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

“The town that Time forgot<\/strong>” is a phrase that literally gets bandied about a bit in the travel-writing industry, kind of like the word, “literally.” It`s particularly difficult to avoid here in Colombia, where Old Father Time seems to have a serious case of Alzheimer`s. There are four of these Colombian time warps<\/strong>, though, that we here in the semi-virtual See Colombia Towers believe stand head and shoulders above the rest. It`s high time they were pitted against each other, to see which of these colonial towns<\/a> has the most time abandonment issues<\/strong>. Here they come in reverse alphabetical order – just to mess with your head. Literally.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Villa de Levya<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The main plaza of George for short, the biggest in all of Colombia.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

We here at the based-on-a-true-story See Colombia Towers, just like all the other Bogotanos, adore<\/a> Villa de Santa Maria de Leyva<\/strong>, or, as we like to call it, George for short*. \u00a0Founded in 1572<\/strong> and having a current population of around 12,000, VDL looks pretty much the way it would`ve way back then in the 16th century. We can thank the laid-back pride of the locals<\/strong> for this, as well as the Colombian Government for proclaiming the whole town a National Monument<\/strong> back in 1954. In a truly impressive feat of civic pride, every house in this big town (a city, really – just not how we know them) is immaculately white-washed and trimmed in green<\/strong>. The whole cobblestoned town is beautifully situated in rolling (not literally) green hills, with plenty to do in its\u00a0surrounds<\/a>. There`s no better accident to experience than to find that your Bogota day-trip has turned into a week in this superbly relaxed haven.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Santa Fe de Antioquia<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Another<\/a>
Another little paisa in the making?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

The paisas<\/em> of Medellin would argue (of course they would) that their refuge from the modern world<\/strong>, Santa Fe de Antioquia<\/a>, is every bit as good and time-trapped as Villa de Leyva. Villa de Santa Fe, as it was called back then, was founded in 1541, and, as a result, is often called the cradle of\u00a0paisa\u00a0<\/em>culture<\/strong>. It is yet to be established whether the\u00a0paisa`s\u00a0<\/em>love-affair with the mullet<\/strong> began back then, but we`d like to think that it did. The town was re-named when it became the capital of Antioquia, a title it held for 13 heady years, before nearby Medellin took the governing role. We think this was actually a good thing, as this meant that the modern world forgot about the place<\/strong>, and it instead went about the task of slowly accumulating history. Just like VDL, SFDA is immaculately whitewashed, cobblestoned, and preserved<\/strong>, and it was\u00a0also\u00a0<\/em>declared a National Monument, only 6 years after Villa de Leyva. With a population of 23,000, and weather significantly warmer<\/strong> than its colonial cousin in Boyaca, this sleepy city is the perfect foil to Medellin`s modern buzz. But is it better than the others?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mompox<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Church<\/a>
Church in Mompox.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mompox<\/a>. or Mompos (you get to choose how to spell it), or, indeed and more formally, Santa Cruz de Mompox, used to be politically important<\/strong>,\u00a0just like Santa Fe de Antioquia. Founded in 1537, this town was a safe port on the vital Magdalena River, which attracted rivers of Caribbean wealth back in the day, something that can still be seen in the stately old buildings<\/strong> often still carrying out their original roles – such as the San Juan de Dios hospital, said to be the oldest still-functioning hospital in the Americas<\/strong>. A change in the river`s flow signified the end of Mompox`s regional importance, and this island town slowly faded into obscurity. Today`s 30,000-odd citizens remain proud of its history<\/strong> – recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1995 – and their relaxed, somnolent way of life. Best accessed from Cartagena or Santa Marta (and with a similar tropical climate) , this dream of a city<\/strong> is a difficult one to wake up from.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Barichara<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Barichara<\/a>
Rush hour, Barichara.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Villa de San Lorenzo de Barichara, to give it its catchy full title, isn`t far from Colombia`s Adventure Sport Capital, Dora the Explorer<\/a> I mean San Gil<\/a>. With such an opening sentence as that, I could now do the whole hackneyed thing of continuing with “but it feels as though it`s centuries away<\/strong>,” but I won`t. You`re welcome. Barichara, which means “a pretty nice place to have a good old rest” in the Chibcha language, is just as sleepy and whitewashed<\/strong> as the above three towns. Just like VDL and SFDA, it was proclaimed a National Monument in 1978, something the 7,000-odd locals are pretty proud of. Having been founded just in 1702, it`s a mere whipper-snapper compared to the other three time-traps, but all the buildings from that era are beautifully restored<\/strong>, and the local artisanal crafts have been meticulously passed down the generations<\/strong>. It is also the world capital of the delicious Hormiga Culona<\/strong>, or big-booty ants; which I reckon is a good enough reason for you to go all by itself. Also, the town was founded because a vision of Mary told a farmer to. The Virgin Mother of God is pretty hard to argue with<\/strong>, I reckon: she did happen to pick out a beautifully tranquil spot amid the dramatic colours of the Santander region<\/strong>. It is so beautiful and tranquil that a team of independent scientists named it the Prettiest Town In Colombia<\/strong>. Don`t even try to argue with Science.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"count-von-count-sesame-street\"<\/a>
Jeez, you kids! Can`t you count up to four by yourselves? I`ve actually got peasants to govern, don`t you know?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

So, who wins? Does Villa de Leyva`s massive plaza<\/strong> and amazing surrounds earn it the title of Colombia Time Travel Capital? Or, does the birthplace of the\u00a0<\/strong>paisa<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>phenomenon deserve the crown? If it does, won`t the beautifully dreamlike Mompos<\/strong> be rightfully disappointed; not to mention the Mary-sanctioned, heritage rich Barichara<\/strong>? I`m too cowardly to name a winner. You be the judge. Please.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

*\u00a0Disclaimer:\u00a0<\/em>Nobody, least of all us, calls Villa de Leyva, George for short.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  “The town that Time forgot” is a phrase that literally gets bandied about a bit in the travel-writing industry, kind of like the word, “literally.” It`s particularly difficult to avoid here in Colombia, where Old Father Time seems to have a serious case of Alzheimer`s. There are four of these Colombian time warps, though, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":88889,"featured_media":10927,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[3,115,128,1665,626,4,112,66,97,100,127,51],"tags":[2972,224,58,797,2864,2926,2982,2426,2891,2865,2977],"yoast_head":"\nThe Four Best Colonial Towns for Time Travel in Colombia - Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2013\/10\/the-four-best-colonial-towns-for-time-travel-in-colombia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Four Best Colonial Towns for Time Travel in Colombia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"  “The town that Time forgot” is a phrase that literally gets bandied about a bit in the travel-writing industry, kind of like the word, “literally.” It`s particularly difficult to avoid here in Colombia, where Old Father Time seems to have a serious case of Alzheimer`s. 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