Bogotá's Horsecarts: Still Rolling Along

A horse and cart await the return of their owner,
who's inside the recyclers' association's office in La Candelaria. 

A horsecart waits patienly in the evening in La Candelaria. 

Yes another deadline is about to pass by with Bogotá's horsecarts still on the streets. The city government had vowed they'd be gone by Feb. 1, and replaced by motorized tricycles or something similar. Now, City Hall promises they'll absolutely, definitely be gone by September - except that the new deadline will get pushed back, too.

I'm not crying about it. The horsecarts add a sort of bucolic touch to Bogotá. And they also demonstrate that you can get around without an internal combustion engine, altho. few car drivers are likely to trade in their vehicles for horsecarts.

Of course, many of these urban horses are abused and underfect,, altho other zorreros cart owners really love their animals.

The city evidently doesn't have the budget to give the horsecat families the motorized scooter's they've promised them. Neither are there enough willing families to adopt the retired animals.

A scavenger carrying a load of carboard
could use a good horse. 

The survival of the horsecarts, called zorreros, might be good for reasons other than the fact that they add an interesting element to the city. They're also a way of life for their owners, who are humble families who survive by scavenging and selling things or by hawking items from the carts.

A horsecart waits for its driver to have lunch in the red light district.

A horsecart near the Central Cemetery with downtown Bogotá and the Eastern Hills in the background.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours