Jim & Barbara Burton Travel: Guatavita & Zipaquira

Laguna de Guatavita, Zipaquira and Catedral de Sal (Salt Cathedral), Colombia

Our day began when our guide and his driver collected us from Hotel de la Opera shortly after breakfast. We drove about 35 miles (56 kms) northeast of Bogota to Laguna de Guatavita, (Lagoon of Gauatavita) which is situated in Laguna del Cacique Guatavita Natural Park, Cundinamarca, Colombia. It lies in the high Andean forest ecosystem. The top of the cone of the lagoon (lake) is at 3,080 metres (10,267 ft) above sea level. Its average temperature is 13 Celsius, contains around 2 million cubic metres of water, with an average depth of 25 metres. It is oval in shape, 400 metres at its widest point and 300 metres at the narrowest.

Arriving at the park, we obtained our passes and before our hike up the mountain, we stopped first at the Muisca, Cusmuy, (Ceremonial House), a replica of an original. Lake Guatavita was one of the most important lands of the Muisca people. The legend of “El Dorado” was said to have taken place here. The Muisca caciques (chiefs) would, during ceremonies, offer their gold adornments to their god. They would first cover their bodies in honey or sticky mud followed by gold dust. Subsequently the chief would drop all the gold trinkets into the lake, then dive in, washing all the gold dust off. Chib’cha is the language of the Muiscas and they lived at altitudes of between 1200 and 3200 metres above sea level in the Andean mountains close to Bogota. They were one of the largest and most well organized groups of tribes with one of the most powerful societies and economies. Their economy was based primarily on agriculture, followed by ceramics, using the barter system for trade. They were very adept at growing crops utilizing the terrace system, using different altitudes for different crops, which included maize, potatoes, squash, quinoa, cotton, coca leaves, pineapple and avocado. They were also accomplished weavers, cast gold figurines and made jewelry, some of which can now be seen in the Gold Museum, Bogota. A project, to revive the way of life of the Muisca people, named “The Weavers of Life” (Tejedores de Vida), began in 2001, spearheaded by Carlos Mamanché, a traditional healer, spiritual, cultural and political leader, which unfortunately stalled in 2007 due to his untimely death. It has now resumed after suffering several setbacks.

From the “Cusmuy” we walked on a dedicated trail up to Laguna de Guatavita, stopping at the first viewpoint to admire the landscape and take photos. Our guide explained the legend of “El Dorado” and how over the years people have tried, in vain; to retrieve the gold and treasures believed to be at the bottom of the lake. However, some gold pieces worth vast sums of money have been found close to the trails either during excavation or maintenance. These artifacts must be handed to the authorities and are subsequently put on display in the Gold Museum. It is illegal to keep any find. After our first stop we then trekked on to a higher vantage point with a different perspective of the lake, noting its beautiful emerald colour, probably from all of the emeralds at the bottom, that were also offerings to their gods.!!!! There have been many theories as to how the lake came to be here in the first place, from a meteorite to a volcanic cinder, or a limestone sinkhole. It is now believed to have occurred from salt deposits dissolving underground, causing a vast sinkhole.

After descending back to the car park we left the beauty, serenity and spirituality of Lake Guatavita and headed to the small, but important city of Zipaquira.

Zipaquira is located 30 miles (48 kms) north of Bogota and is one of the oldest cities in Colombia, part of the “Greater Bogota Metropolitan District” and capital of the Province. In Chib’cha, it means “Land of the Zipa”. Zipa was the King of this territory. Zipaquira is most famous for its nearby Salt Cathedral; however, the city itself should not be missed. The architecture of the old city centre is of Spanish Colonial style, was founded by Don Luis Henriquez on July 18, 1600 and today has a population of approximately 120,000 people. The region was originally inhabited by the Muisca people, dating back to 600AD, before the conquest of the Spaniards. The buildings surrounding Plaza de Los Comuneros, alternatively known as Plaza Gonzalez Forero, were formerly painted with Republican Style green roofs and trim, but are now a vibrant blue and red, gaily contrasting with the white stucco walls. Prominently situated in the main square is the magnificent cathedral, Catedral de la Santísima Trinidad y San Antonio de Padua (Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity and St. Anthony of Padua) with its beautiful stone interior. Other important buildings include Casa del Cabildo (City Hall) and the Salinas (Saltworks) Administration Building. Many streets in the centre of the city are now pedestrian walkways. Conservation and preservation are paramount in sustaining these historic buildings, providing visitors a safe environment to enjoy all that the city has to offer. In the past, we were told that Zipaquira, suffered under guerilla activity, but now the city is a safe and welcoming place to visit. Apart from the incredible architecture and colonial houses, there are shops, bars, typical restaurants, artisans and museums. The most important event in Zipaquira is the Holy Week procession organized by the Nazarene Congregation. It lasts for the whole week with the most important day being Good Friday.

After bidding Zipaquira farewell we headed off to the “Salt Mines”?????

On our arrival we were confronted by an enormous bronze sculpture of a salt miner. Our journey to the depths of the earth began by descending a slope to reach the turnstile where we gained entry to the Salt Mine and Cathedral. Salt has been mined in this location since the 5th century. The “Catedral de Sal” lies approximately 200 metres below ground, under a Halite mountain and below an active salt mine. It is one of only two such cathedrals in the world, the other being in Poland. It is accessed by a series of tunnels, which are used for both miners and visitors alike. Although known as The Salt Cathedral it is actually a church, as it has no bishop. This is the second such cathedral at this site and is situated below the first, which was constructed in 1954 and dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary of Guasa, the patron saint of miners, at a cost in excess of 285 million U.S. dollars. It was 5,500 sq metres and could hold 8,000 people. It was closed in 1990 due to structural and safety concerns, being inside an active mine. We were told that it has now shrunk from its original height of 22 metres, to around 1 metre.

The new cathedral began construction in 1991 and was opened in 1995. Bogotan, Roswell Garavito Pearl, was the architect and artistic designer and the technical engineer was Bogotan, Jorge Enrique Castelblanco Reyes. From the entrance, en-route to the main cathedral, you pass by 14 small chapels, (stations of the cross), representing Christ’s last journey. Each station has a cross and kneeling platforms carved into the Halite. On reaching the end of the “Stations of the Cross”, before you descend to the main part of the cathedral, is a viewing area, flanked by the Angel Gabriel. Here you can look down upon the pews and aisle below and beyond to the main altar with its monumental cross. Set in the floor between the three sections depicting the birth, life and death of Jesus Christ is a vault, entombing a sculpture by Carlos Henrique Rodriguez, based on Michelangelo’s “Creation of Adam” which is a fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. All architectural details, icons etc., are carved into the Halite with the exception of a few marble sculptures, some of which were brought here from the “Old Cathedral” most notably the sculpture of “Our Lady of the Rosary of Guasa”, in the miners chapel. The cathedral interior is quite surreal with the ever-changing colours, from the LED lighting. The cathedral is one of the most notable architectural achievements in Colombian history and has been designated as “Jewel of Modern Architecture”. It is a significant cultural and religious place for Colombians and tourists come from all parts of the world to wonder at such an amazing feat of architecture and engineering. Three thousand people attend Roman Catholic Mass in this Cathedral every Sunday.

After a lengthy walk back through the tunnels we managed to escape the salt mine and with no further ado our guide and driver took us to a very nice restaurant for lunch/dinner as it was now mid afternoon. As usual in this part of the world the meal was huge and very delicious. Needless to say we were also very thirsty after “ALL THAT SALT”………………

View across the valley from Guatavita

"Cusmuy" - Muisca Ceremonial House

Bromeliad - Tillandsia Restrepoana - on the trail up to the lake

Laguna de Guatavita

Barbara & Jim - Guatavita

Laguna de Guatavita

Laguna de Guatavita - Children on an educational trip

Pegamosco - Andean Shrub, Laguna de Guatavita

Catedral de la Santísima Trinidad y San Antonio de Padua

Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity and St. Anthony of Padua

Catedral de la Santísima Trinidad y San Antonio de Padua

Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity and St. Anthony of Padua

Magnificent interior stone work

Catedral de la Santísima Trinidad y San Antonio de Padua

Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity and St. Anthony of Padua

Casa del Cabildo

City Hall

Zipaquira - Plaza de Los Comuneros or

Plaza Gonzales Forero

Zipaquira - Plaza de Los Comuneros or

Plaza Gonzales Forero

Zipaquira - Plaza de Los Comuneros or

Plaza Gonzales Forero

Salinas Administration Building

Zipaquira - Plaza de Los Comuneros or

Plaza Gonzales Forero

Zipaquira - Plaza de Los Comuneros or

Plaza Gonzales Forero

Zipaquira - Plaza de Los Comuneros or

Plaza Gonzales Forero

Bronze Sculpture of Salt Miner outside the Mine

Zipaquira