Colombia's UNESCO Heritage Sites

Comical figures for carnaval parades.

The National Museum in Bogotá has an exhibit about Colombia's 14 UNESCO-designated cultural sites and manifistations. These range from concrete places, such as Cartagena's historical fortifications and Mompox's historical center, and immaterial ones such as carnavales and indigenous peoples' traditional knowledge.

Notably absent from the list, of course, is Bogotá's historical center, La Candelaria. A friend told me it was under consdiration, until the UNESCO representative noticed some mushroom-shaped apartments which look more like Miami condominiums than something appropriate for a historical center. And now, with the invasion of chain stores and restaurants, the neighborhood's hopes for such a status are probably gone.

A piece of culture brought be German immigrants, now an important component of Colombian music. 

Sleeping it off post-carnaval.

A mix of indigenous and imported musical instruments. 

A carnaval song.

Photographing fish, another part of Colombia's heritage.

Coffee sacks. The coffee region is also on the UNESCO list. 

Funeral urns at Tierra Adentro. 

The Palenque people, who have preserved African words and traditions. 

The monuments at San Agustin.

Traditional Wayuu dress.

Cannonballs which defended Cartagena from English, Dutch and  French attackers. 

A champan being pushed up the Magdalena River. African slaves provided the muscle-power for much of Colombia's early development, but received little credit or compensation.

Stone and tools used to build Cartagena.

A child who dives for tourists' coins in Cartagena. 

 

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours