Colombia - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 548

5

march northward from Quito, the “White
City” was a powerful counterweight to
Bogotá's dominance during the colonial
era and a bastion of Spanish loyalty
during the wars of independence. Unlike
Cartagena, which saw its influence wane
after independence, Popayán's aristocrats
remained very active in politics, and no
fewer than eleven presidents have emerged
from their ranks.
When a disastrous earthquake destroyed
most of the historic centre in 1983,
collapsing the cathedral's roof onto the
worshippers just before the Maunday
Thursday celebrations, residents banded
together to rebuild. The result is one of
the most attractive cities in Colombia,
its streets flanked by single-storey houses
and whitewashed mansions and its
churches lit up beautifully at night.
During Easter week the city is cordoned
of to make way for thousands of
parading worshippers brandishing candles
and colourful flowers. Popayán's Semana
Santa celebrations are the second largest
in the world, after Seville in Spain.

C 4 and Cra 9, where several of Popayán's
patrician families are buried. La Ermita
and Iglesia de Santo Domingo are
beautifully lit up at night.

Museo de Historia Natural
A few blocks east of the historic centre,
the Museo de Historia Natural (Cra 2
No. 1A-25; 9am-noon & 2-5pm;
COP$3000; W museo.unicauca.edu.co)
is worth visiting to see its rich collection
of taxidermied animal and bird species,
many of which are endemic to Colombia
- just to see what they look like, as it's
difficult to spot many of them in the wild.

Morro de Tulcán, El Cerro de las
Tres Cruces and Capilla de Belén
For a tremendous view of the town,
follow Cra 2 north to the Morro de
Tulcán , once the site of a pre-Columbian
pyramid and now a hill capped by an
equestrian statue of Sebastián de
Belalcázar, who founded Popayán in
1537. Near El Morro is Pueblito Patojo ,
a slightly bizarre set of buildings that are
smaller copies of Popayán's most famous
landmarks. From the top of El Morro,
a path continues to the three crosses of
El Cerro de las Tres Cruces and on to
the hilltop chapel of Capilla de Belén ,
accessible via a steep cobbled path from
the eastern end of C4; the entire walk
takes a couple of hours. There are usually
people on El Morro, whereas the Capilla
de Belén is more isolated; leave valuables
behind if visiting either.

WHAT TO SEE AND DO
Besides its attractive architecture and
leafy main square, most of Popayán's
attractions lie outside the city. The
museums are of limited interest to
visitors, though you can kill a couple
of hours on a rainy day there.

The churches
The town's leafy main square, Parque
Caldas, is overlooked by the whitewashed
Catedral . Although the biggest and
most frequently used of the churches,
architecturally it's the least important,
built around 1900 on the site where two
earlier structures stood. Four blocks east,
on C 5 and Cra 2, is the city's oldest
standing church, La Ermita , which
features an austere single-naved chapel
comprised of wooden ribbing and
a golden altar dating from 1564.
On C 4 and Cra 5, the Iglesia de
Santo Domingo is Baroque stone portal is
an excellent example of Spanish New
World architecture. Equally ornate is
the staircased pulpit of Iglesia de San
Francisco , situated on a quiet plaza on

Casa Museo Mosquera
If you're interested in a glimpse of the
salon society of the colonial and early
independence era, the Casa Museo
Mosquera on C 3 No. 5-14 (Tues-Sun
8am-noon & 2-5pm; COP$2000), the
childhood residence of Tomás Cipriano
de Mosquera, four times Colombia's
president, offers just that. On a macabre
note, Mosquera's heart is kept in an urn
in the wall.

Museo Negret and Museo
Iberoamericano de Arte Moderno
The home of modernist sculptor Edgar
Negret, Museo Negret (C 5 No. 10-23;