Colombia (Lonely Planet, 5th Edition) - Jens Porup [207]
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POPAYÁN
2 / pop 240,000 / elev 1760m
This small colonial town is famous for its chalk-white facades (its nickname is La Ciudad Blanca, or ‘the White City’), and is second only to Cartagena as Colombia’s most impressive colonial settlement. It sits at the southern end of the Valle de Cauca, and for hundreds of years was the capital of southern Colombia, before Cali overtook it.
The town was founded in 1537 by Sebastián de Belalcázar, and Popayán became the most important stopping point on the road between Cartagena and Quito. Its mild climate attracted wealthy families from the sugar haciendas of the hot Cali region. In the 17th century they began building mansions, schools and several imposing churches and monasteries.
The city is famous for its elaborate Semana Santa (Holy Week) celebration, when tourists from around the world come to see the religious pageantry. Popayán is also famous for its food, and plays host every September to a food festival that attracts chefs (and eaters) from around the world. The city has numerous universities, and there’s a lively cafe and bar culture catering to local students.
In March 1983, moments before the much-celebrated Maundy Thursday religious procession was set to depart, a violent earthquake shook the town, caving in the cathedral’s roof and killing hundreds. Little damage is visible today.
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Information
Bancolombia (Parque Caldas) Bank.
Cambiamos SA ( 820 5288; cnr Carrera 7 & Calle 6) Agents for MoneyGram.
Davivienda (Parque Caldas) Bank.
Hospital San José ( 820 0975; Carrera 6 No 10N-142)
Internet ADSL ( 822 5801; Carrera 11 No 4-36; per hr COP$1000; 8am-10pm) Internet access; next to Hosteltrail.
National Park Office (Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia; 823 1212, 823 1279; www.parquesnacionales.gov.co; Carrera 9 No 25N-6)
Tourist office (Oficina de Turismo de Popayán; 824 2251; Carrera 5 No 4-68)
Tourist police ( 822 0916; turismodecau@hotmail.com; Carrera 7 No 4-36) More helpful than the regular tourist office. In the gobernación building.
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Sights & Activities
The Iglesia de San Francisco (cnr Carrera 9 & Calle 4) is the city’s largest colonial church and arguably the most beautiful. Inside are a fine high altar and a collection of seven unique side altars. The 1983 earthquake cracked open the ossary, revealing six unidentified mummies. Two are left, and you can visit them on a one-hour guided tour (admission COP$1000; 8am-noon & 4-6pm) of the church that includes the five-story bell tower and the outdoor cupolas. Look for the tourist policeman outside the church doors who conducts the tours.
Other colonial churches in town include the Iglesia de Santo Domingo (cnr Carrera 5 & Calle 4), Iglesia de San José (cnr Calle 5 & Carrera 8) and the Iglesia de San Agustín (cnr Calle 7 & Carrera 6). Built in 1546, Iglesia La Ermita (cnr Calle 5 & Carrera 2) is Popayán’s oldest church and worth seeing for its fine main retable and the fragments of old frescoes, which were only discovered after the earthquake.
Casa Museo Mosquera ( 824 0683; Calle 3 No 5-38; admission COP$2000; 8am-noon & 2-5pm) is housed in an 18th-century mansion that was once home to General Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera, a politician and historian who was Colombia’s president on four occasions between 1845 and 1867. Note the urn in the wall; it contains Mosquera’s heart.
Museo Arquidiocesano de Arte Religioso ( 824 2759; Calle 4 No 4-56; admission COP$2000; 9am-12:30pm & 2-5pm Mon-Fri, 9am-2pm Sat) has a good collection of religious art, including paintings, statues, altar pieces, silverware and liturgical vessels, most of which date from the 17th to 19th centuries.
The neoclassical cathedral (Parque Caldas) is the youngest church in the center, built between 1859 and 1906 on the site of a