{"id":20275,"date":"2015-10-30T08:00:03","date_gmt":"2015-10-30T13:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/?p=20275"},"modified":"2016-03-18T05:38:41","modified_gmt":"2016-03-18T10:38:41","slug":"ghosts-in-bogota","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2015\/10\/ghosts-in-bogota\/","title":{"rendered":"Bogota’s 10 Most Haunted Places: Colombian Halloween Special"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nColombia’s Top 5 Scariest Mythological Characters<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Top 5 Spooky Colombian Myths and Legends<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

It would stand to reason that\u00a0there are hundreds of legends throughout Bogota of ghostly happenings and chilling hauntings<\/strong>; the country has been through many years of wars and violence – exactly the sort of thing that tends to inspire ghost stories and sightings. In fact, there are so many local legends of ghosts and spirits that it would take a long time to list them all (and many of them, to be fair, are from very obscure parts of Colombia that you’re unlikely to visit!) – so, instead of trying that, we’re going to examine the\u00a0many creepy, spooky goings on that are said to take place in Bogota<\/strong>, the nation’s capital. All of these ghosts we talk about in this post are said to haunt La Candelaria, Bogota’s Old Town; making it super easy to\u00a0create your own DIY Bogota ghost walking tour<\/strong>\u00a0to make this Halloween extra exciting (and terrifying!) So here are\u00a0Bogota’s 10 most haunted places\u00a0<\/strong>(in no particular order of spookiness)\u00a0so you can create your own\u00a0Bogota ghost tour<\/strong>…<\/p>\n

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\"Ghost<\/a>
Bah!! Scary beardy English ghost!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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1) Chorro de Quevedo<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

This charming little plaza in La Candelaria<\/strong>, said to be where Bogota (as we know it now anyway) was founded, is not as charming as it looks…by the dead of night anyway! Following the Battle Of Boyaca, one of the key conflicts in Bolivar’s liberation of Colombia, a Spanish marshall named Jesus Torrado stole goods from armed patriots,<\/strong> who proceeded to kill him for the theft. Supposedly his ghost still roams the street of the Old Town, mainly focusing on Chorro de Quevedo, where he reportedly died. And I though the plaza was all clowns and jugglers!<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"El<\/a>
El Chorro…actually it does look kind of spooky!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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2) The\u00a0Ermita de San Miguel del Pr\u00edncipe<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

You don’t even have to walk far (or any distance at all really!) for #2 on the list of Bogota’s most haunted: this little church (which we can also call charming) is on the corner of Chorro de Quevedo. How (ghoulishly) convenient, eh?! According to legend (and there are a few different versions), Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada (founded of Bogota) has a fair few bastard sons<\/strong>…apparently one of these sons, an especially belligerent one, fought a duel with his uncle over the family fortune…and lost, on the site of this church! Other versions of the story say that a Spanish soldier challenged another to a duel here before succumbing to heartbreak<\/strong> and ending his life before the duel could be fought. What is certain (perhaps) is that many people claim to have seen the ghost of a main clad in armour, holding a sword, wander from the church and patrol the square, before sadly returning<\/strong>. Not the most terrifying of spirits, this one!<\/p>\n

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\"La<\/a>
La Ermita…less spooky<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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3) Headquarters of the\u00a0Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

What a convenient place for a ghost to live, right?! I mean, ghosts are totally historical and stuff…so I’m reliably informed by the ‘History’ Channel (pfft, yeah right!). Anyway, this building apparently used to be the home of a couple who were deeply in love.<\/strong> They used to sit together for coffee on the balcony. Sweet! But hold on…it gets less sweet! When the wife died the husband couldn’t bring himself to part with her…so he embalmed her body<\/strong> (maybe just a nice eulogy next time?) so he could keep enjoying coffee time. From the street you can reportedly still see their shadows on the balcony<\/strong> – his presumably more active than hers!<\/p>\n

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4) The\u00a0Jos\u00e9 Caicedo Rojas House<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

You though this was going to be haunted by the ghost of\u00a0Jos\u00e9 Caicedo Rojas, didn’t you?! Admit it! Well, it’s not…it’s actually purported to be the home of a goblin named Baltazar, giving rise to it’s other name: The Goblin’s Mansion<\/strong>. That might have been a better clue… Anyway, I digress: Baltazar is said to be the spirit of an illegitimate child, born to a single mother, who drowned the child in the well (which still exists in the courtyard of the house) to avoid being burnt at the stake. Others say he was a dwarf, brought from Spain, the illegitimate son of an\u00a0infanta<\/em>,<\/strong> who was condemned to live his whole live hidden in the house. Apparently the goblin spirit\u00a0is playful with children, kind to women, and scares away all men<\/strong> (you’d think, based on the story, that he’d be a touch mad at the women too…).<\/p>\n

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\"cute<\/a>
A cute ghost…although possibly a dyslexic one! (image: sketchport.com by Aya 123)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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5)\u00a0The\u00a0Jos\u00e9 Raimundo Russi House<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Another trick name: this one isn’t haunted by it’s namesake either! Mwhahaha: I feel eviler than the ghosts! Anyway, in 1851, Snr. Raimundo Russi was executed for the murder of one Maunelito Ferro<\/strong>; which was committed in front of this house. Neighbours claim to have heard the sounds of Ferro’s screams and stabbing noises in front of the house where the murder took place. Russi’s ghost is also said to wander Plaza Bolivar where he was executed<\/strong> (that’s an extra ghost tip! Bonus ghost!<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

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\"casa<\/a>
Casa Samano Museum…don’t get spit on!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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6)\u00a0The<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Casa S\u00e1mano Museum<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

This one has the right name, promise! Formerly the home of one of Colombia’s most reviled historical figures, Viceroy of New Granada, Juan Samano<\/strong>, this current museum still supposedly houses his mean and vengeful spirit. Apparently in real life (not even ghost-life!) he used to be a horrible person; spitting on those he wasn’t fond of and kicking them too! Security guards claim to have heard kicking noises, steps, and doors slamming<\/strong>, whilst people have alleged that they’ve been spat on by a shadowy figure on the balcony…ghost spit!<\/strong> Everyone knows that’s the hardest to wash off! Pure evil…<\/p>\n

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