National Archeological Park of Tierradentro - Colombia

Thanks to Sapic, i've a new Unesco site from Colombia, National Archeological Park of Tierradentro, on the WHS list since 1995. This park is located in the jurisdiction of the municipality of Inza, Department of Cauca, in the south-western part of the country.

Photo by Patrick Rouillard

Several monumental statues of human figures can be seen in the park, which also contains many hypogea dating from the 6th to the 10th century. These huge underground tombs (some burial chambers are up to 12 m wide) are decorated with motifs that reproduce the internal decor of homes of the period. They reveal the social complexity and cultural wealth of a pre-Hispanic society in the northern Andes. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/743

San Agustín Archaeological Park - Colombia

This was the Unesco card Claus sent me a few days ago, San Agustín Archaeological Park, the 3rd colombian Unesco site in my collection. This site is on the Unesco WHS list since 1996.

Cosmo Guias

The largest group of religious monuments and megalithic sculptures in South America stands in a wild, spectacular landscape. Gods and mythical animals are skilfully represented in styles ranging from abstract to realist. These works of art display the creativity and imagination of a northern Andean culture that flourished from the 1st to the 8th century. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/744

Churches in Colombia

In the last weeks i've received new cards from Colombia. The 1st, was sent by Claus and it shows the Las Lajas Sanctuary and the 2nd, the San Francisco Church in Cali, was sent by Katelin "thebluemorpho".  

Photo by Omar Bechara

Las Lajas Sanctuary is a minor basilica church located in the southern Colombian Department of Nariño, municipality of Ipiales and built inside the canyon of the Guáitara River.

The present church was built in Gothic Revival style in 1949. The name Laja comes from the name of a type of flat sedimentary rock similar to shale.

The existence of a shrine in this location was recorded in the accounts of friar Juan de Santa Gertrudis's journey through the southern region of the New Kingdom of Granada between 1756 and 1764. The first shrine was built here in the middle of 18th century from straw and wood. It was replaced with a new, larger shrine in 1802, which in turn was extended and connected to the opposite side of canyon with a bridge.

Current church was built in the time period from January 1, 1916 to August 20, 1949, with donations from local churchgoers. It rises 100 m high from the bottom of canyon and is connected with 50 m tall bridge to the opposite side of the canyon. - in: wikipedia

 © Copyright by Humberto Castaño de Narvaéz

Cali, is a city in western Colombia and the capital of the Valle del Cauca Department. Cali is the third largest city in the country.

The San Francisco Church is a neoclassic temple built between 1803 and 1827. The church is part of the San Francisco Religious Complex, owned by the franciscan community in Cali.

Colombian Coffee

The Colombian coffee is considered by some as the best coffee in the world. Last year, the Unesco classified the Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia as World Heritage Site.

An exceptional example of a sustainable and productive cultural landscape that is unique and representative of a tradition that is a strong symbol for coffee growing areas worldwide - encompasses six farming landscapes, which include 18 urban centres on the foothills of the western and central ranges of the Cordillera de los Andes in the west of the country. It reflects a centennial tradition of coffee growing in small plots in the high forest and the way farmers have adapted cultivation to difficult mountain conditions. - http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1121

© Humberto Castaño de Narváez - Pilar Jiménez Toquica

Colombian Coffee-Growers Axis (Spanish: Eje Cafetero), also known as Coffee Triangle (Spanish: Triángulo del Café) is a part of the Colombian Paisa region which is famous for growing and production of a majority of the Colombian coffee, considered by some as the best coffee in the world. There are three departments in the area: Caldas, Quindío and Risaralda.

© Humberto Castaño de Narváez - Pilar Jiménez Toquica

Armenia is the capital of Quindío, a department in Colombia. It's one of the three that forms the Colombian Coffee-Growers Axis. - in: wikipedia
Both cards were sent by "thebluemorpho".

Cartagena - Colombia

New country, new unesco world heritage site :D Thanks to Jenny "razviti".

This is the San Filipe Castle in Cartagena, Colombia.

"Cartagena de Indias was founded in 1533 by the Spanish conqueror Pedro de Heredia, who actually built it at the location of an existing settlement of the indigenous Carib Indians. It soon acquired importance as the main gateway for Spain into South America, and it became the warehouse of the Spanish treasures taken from the newly discovered territories. Not surprisingly, Cartagena became a prime target for pirates, and in order to defend it against attackers, the city was turned into a fortress, surrounded by a defensive wall. The Spanish also decided to build a real fortress, which was cleverly constructed to make it difficult to attack and impossible to conquer. Initially based on a design of the Dutch engineer Ricardo, the fortress was ultimately finished by Antonio de Arévalo."

Cartagena's colonial walled city and fortress were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.

"The Castillo San Felipe, originally built in the 16th century and rebuilt in the mid-17th century, was so strong and so well located, on top of the San Lázaro Hill, that is was never taken. There were plenty of attempts, heavy battles, but in the end, the defenders always prevailed. The most famous battle was the one waged by the English admiral Edward Vernon in 1741. The British were so convinced of their victory against the Spanish, based on their much larger numbers of ship, cannons and men, that they even minted coints depicting a humiliated Blas de Lezo kneeling before Vernon. In reality, however, the Brits were defeated, and the physically handicapped Blas de Lezo, missing a leg, an arm and an eye, turned into a hero. He is still visible as a statue at the foot of the San Lázaro hill on which the fortress is built. Copies of the British coins depicting his defeat are attached to the sides of the pedestal on which his statue stands." - in: www.traveladventures.org/continents/southamerica/castillo-san-felipe/shtml