Popayán - Popayán

Popayán is a city of Colombia, located in the Pacific region.

To know

Popayán is one of the oldest and best preserved cities in America, as evidenced by its colonial architecture and also by its religious traditions: the celebrations of Holy Week attract a large number of spectators. On September 28, 2009, the Popayán Easter processions were declared by UNESCO as a masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity.

In 2005, UNESCO designated Popayán as a gastronomic city for the particular care of citizens in preserving traditional methods of culinary preparation, passed down orally from generation to generation. The typical dishes of Popayán are the legacy of the interaction of the Spanish culinary tradition with the indigenous one. Among the dishes stand out the Carantanta (literally "hard bread", a mixture of ground corn and then lightly toasted) the aplanchado (a dessert) and among the drinks the aloja, the reinita and the lulada.

Geographical notes

Popayán is the capital of Cauca, a department of the Colombia of the southwest which has a large maritime front on the Pacific Ocean. The city is located in the Pubenza valley, between the western cordillera is that central. It is bathed by the Cauca river, the largest watercourse in the Colombia together with the Magdalena, As it crosses the city, the river reaches an average width of 40 m.

As the capital, Popayán is the seat of the governorate of Cauca, the departmental council and the superior court of the judicial district.

When to go

Average annual rainfall is 1941 mm, its average temperature is 14/19 ° C.

Background

On 24 December 1536, Captain Juan de Ampudia, under the orders of Don, arrived in the territory of today's Popayán. Sebastián de Belalcázar, with the task of subduing the indigenous people of the area. The city was officially founded on January 13 of the following year by Belalcázar himself, famous for having also been the founder of Quito and of Santiago de Cali.

Having obtained the total submission of the natives, on August 15, 1537 a sung mass was officiated, followed by a solemn ceremony during which the indigenous name of "Popayán" was given to the city preceded by Asunción in honor of the feast of the Assumption of Mary which occurred on that very day. On that occasion they were appointed mayors (alcades) Don Pedro de Velasco and Martínez de Revilla, both companions in fortune of Belalcázar. The two men were also made knights of the order of San Juan de Calatayud.

The city was divided into lots assigned to the military who were to remain in charge of the new colony. The Popayán coat of arms was granted by the Infanta Joan of Austria in the name of his brother, Philip II of Spain, by royal decree transcribed a Valladolid on November 10, 1558.

In 1540, Sebastián de Belalcázar was appointed first governor of Popayán. From Spain seeds of barley, wheat were brought, as well as numerous domestic animals, in particular cattle, horses and pigs, agricultural tools and many other tools. Livestock farming especially flourished in Buenaventura, the port of Cali on the Pacific Ocean where the galleons dropped anchor Spaniards.

At the same time, the hunt for the gold veins that were so dear to Belalcázar began. The gold boom drew aristocratic families from the Spain who settled in Popayán together with the owners of the gold mines of Barbaco and Chocó. Popayán became an important city of the Viceroyalty of New Granada. The extraction and trade of the precious metal allowed the development of large farms and the construction of sumptuous palaces, furnished with equally sumptuous furniture imported from Spain. Many slaves were bought with gold fromAfrica, whose descendants still constitute a sizeable minority in the region Colombian of the Pacific. In the Viceroyalty and in the same Spain, Popayán took on the unflattering fame of a slave town.

The gold business cycle experienced alternating periods of recession and recovery. A first crisis, which occurred in 1630, worsened in 1680. The recovery took place in the following century and continued for most of the nineteenth century.

Throughout the colonial period Popayán competed with Cartagena, Bogotá is Tunja by number of noble inhabitants. It was the only center of the New Granada, together with the capital Santafé, to be the seat of a mint established by the Spanish crown. This largely explains the splendor that this city has experienced in the past. Noble families tried to secure their power through marriages with other peer families, resulting in a common family tree, as happened in the monarchical and former monarchical elites of Europe.

How to orient yourself

How to get

By plane

• 2.454167-76.6091671 Guillermo León Valencia Airport (IATA: PPN). The airport runway is just north of the historic center. National airlines Avianca is EasyFly they manage flights to / from Bogotá.  

By car

Papoyan's approximate distance from the capital Bogotá is about 600 km.

By bus

• 2.4508-76.60812 Intercity bus station (Terminal de Transporte), Transversal 9 Norte (Close to the airport terminal). Modern structure with the ticket offices all lined up in the large entrance hall of the station. No chaos. You don't get lost. 

How to get around

What see

• 2.44322-76.60851 Church of San Francesco (Iglesia de San Francisco), Plazoleta de Camilo Torres. The facade of San Francesco is considered the best example of late Baroque architecture in Colombia. The church was commissioned by the families of Valencia and Arroyo. In the tower is the famous bell of San Antonio, donated by Don Pedro Agustín from Valencia. Made of an alloy of gold and bronze, the San Antonio bell is one of the largest in South America, being its size larger than that of the Cathedral of Arequipa.

The interior has three naves and harmonious proportions. It has ten side altars with niches that hold sacred images, among which those of the Lord of the Coronation, of the Christ of the Vera Cruz and the Lord of Whips (El Señor de los Azotes). Also noteworthy is the style pulpit plateresque. The sacristy houses sculptures and paintings from the school of Quito.

On the square in front, the subject of a profound and controversial transformation in 2004, stands the monument a Camilo Torres Tenorio, a replica of which was placed in the courtyard of the famous Collegio di San Bartolomeo in Bogotá.  

• 2.441417-76.6064862 Cathedral basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption (Catedral basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de Popayán), Parque Caldas. The current cathedral was inaugurated in 1906 by Archbishop Manuel Antonio Arboleda to replace a previous temple from 1609 which was demolished. Its style is neoclassical and much of the building was restored in the aftermath of the 1983 earthquake, including the large 40-meter-high dome, the restoration of which followed the guidelines of the original structure designed by artist Payanés Adolfo Dueñas. Inside there is a large pipe organ.

The cathedral stands on the main square, where a provisional church in wood and thatched roof was erected in 1537 where the official ceremony of the founding of the city of Popayán took place.  

• 2.44166-76.604483 Church of San Domenico (Iglesia de Santo Domingo). Baroque work designed by the Spanish architect Antonio García on behalf of the Arboleda family. Its interior contains magnificent pieces of silverware and furniture from the schools of Quito. Its pulpit was designed in the first half of the 19th century.

A first church, built at the end of the 16th century as a place of veneration of the image of the Virgin of the Rosary, was destroyed by the earthquake of 1736. The new temple was consecrated 12 years later. The cabinetmaker Camilo Guevara created the altarpiece that can still be admired today. The earthquake of 1885 caused the bell tower to collapse, which was immediately replaced by another octagonal one.

The Good Friday procession starts from the church of San Domenico. 

• 2.4395-76.606894 Church and convent of Sant'Agostino (Iglesia y Convento de San Agustín), Carrera 6 No. 762 (Corner street 7). At the end of the 17th century, Brother Jerónimo Escobar founded the Augustinian convent, whose temple was destroyed by the earthquake of 1736. Rebuilt thanks to donations from the notables of Popoyán, it was necessary to restore it following the 1983 earthquake. from the main altarpiece, carved in wood and covered with gold leaf. 
• 2.44101-76.605425 Templo de La Encarnación, Calle 5. The Sisters of the Incarnation founded the first girls' school in Popayán. The temple dates back to 1764 and its interior houses the finest collection of altarpieces all in gold leaf. 
• 2.441653-76.6046816 Church of San Giuseppe (Iglesia de San José). It was the temple of the Jesuits who erected it in 1702 according to the dictates of the colonial baroque. It currently serves as a chapel for the Popayán University Foundation.

The interior corresponds to the style of the Jesuit temples in America; central nave and side chapels with barrel vaults where images of the Evangelists are kept. The altarpieces in the space of the cruise they date back to 1756 and are the work of an anonymous teacher from the school of Quito.

The visit of the sacristy is interesting, with a huge central column from which four arches that support the vault start. It is the work of the German-born master Shenherr as well as the elaborate washbasin where the priests washed their hands before officiating mass.

The church has undergone various restorations, the most recent of which dates back to 1983. On that occasion a large part of the brick facade was rebuilt, which was in precarious conditions, having lost the paint coating.  

• 2.44322-76.60857 Ermita de Jesús Nazareno. The oldest temple in Popoyán is a small 16th-century chapel that was originally used to give catechism classes to the natives. Its small size allowed it to withstand the frequent earthquakes that destroyed the other buildings. Being placed on a small hill it is visible from different points of the center. It is reached via a cobbled street, calle de la Ermita, which has preserved the original flooring.

Being intended for the natives who were forbidden access to other churches, the interior of the chapel is sober but some works are distinguished such as the very graceful, small wooden pulpit carved and covered in gold leafs as well as the altarpiece of the 1788, studded with precious stones, the work of a goldsmith of the time. Among the sacred images stands out that of Jesus Nazarene, made in Rome and brought to Popoyán in the 16th century, shortly after the founding of the city.

Since the 19th century, the Holy Wednesday procession has started from this temple.  

• 2.444444-76.68 Morro del Tulcán.  

• 2.44456-76.605099 Puente del Humilladero, Carrera 5, No. 1-28. 

Museums

• 2.44286-76.6046210 Casa Mosquera Museum, Calle 3, No 5-14. Tue-Sun 09: 00-17: 00. 
• 2.44296-76.6009111 Natural Science Museum (Museo de Ciencias Naturales), Carrera 2 No. 1a-25. Tue-Sun 09: 00-12: 00 and 14: 00-17: 00. . 
• 2.44313-76.605212 Guillermo National Museum Valencia (Museo Nacional Guillermo Valencia), Carrera 6, No. 2-69. Tue-Sun 10 am-5pm. 
• 2.44255-76.6090713 Casa Negret Museum and Iberamerican Museum of Modern Art (Casa Negret Museum and Ibero-American Museum of Modern Art), Carrera 9, No 4-29, ☎ 57 322 4787576. Tue-Sat 08: 00-12 and 14: 00-18: 00. 

Events and parties

• The carnivals of Pubenza (Carnavales de Pubenza). January. It lasts 7 days, from 4 to 9 January, while 13 January, which coincides with the official date of the foundation of the city, is dedicated to the closing ceremony. Historically, the carnivals of Pubenza refer to the more famous one of blacks and whites (carnaval de Negros y Blancos) which occurs in the nearby city of San Juan de Pasto in memory of the era of segregation of whites from black slaves who were allowed to unleash their creative flair only during carnival.

Since 2016, on the initiative of the then mayor Gómez Castro, the carnivals of Pubenza have been renamed Fiesta de Los Reyes (Feast of the Magi). 

• Holy Week. The Holy Week of Popayán is distinguished by the processions that take place continuously since the 16th century, in the night between Friday de Dolores and Holy Saturday.

The statues of the saints are carried in procession on wooden canopies and equipped with long bars placed on the shoulders of the porters. Several episodes narrated in the Gospels and others connected to the Passion, Crucifixion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ are staged.

Each representation is called nightly and all take place on a 2 km course in the shape of a Latin cross, defined in the sixteenth century. The stages consist of the churches in the center. The processions start at 8pm and last for 4 hours.

Los cargueros they are the members of the brotherhood in charge of carrying canopies and sedan chairs with the statues of the saints on their shoulders. According to tradition, they can only be men and must wear a blue outfit with a white ribbon secured around the waist. On Good Friday they wear a small wreath of purple flowers on their chest which symbolizes mourning. On the head they wear a hood, but backwards and of a different shape from that used in Seville. Holy Saturday Los cargueros instead they wear a white tunic and a red cloth around their waists, secured with a strap (cíngulo), symbolizing Christ's triumph over death through the resurrection.

Las sahumadoras they are women in charge of burning incense. They carry censers in their hands with sticks of burning coal inside where they pour a highly aromatic resin called sahumerio. They are dressed in traditional dress, said ñapanga and they go continuously in front of the statues of the saints carried in procession, to incense them.

In the 18th century, las sahumadoras they were mulattoes, servants of aristocratic families. Their mistresses loved to dress them up for the party. They had them dressed in satin and silk dresses, taken from their wardrobe and adorned them with their jewels. They also styled their hair with very elaborate braids and in the most conspicuous way possible. Nowadays, however sahumadoras they are young women, aged between 17 and 22, and often handsome in appearance.

In the week after Easter, processions of children between the ages of 6 and 12 have been taking place in the streets of the center since the end of the 19th century (procesiones Chiquitas) which are replicas of the shows previously held by adults. Children are candidates for becoming cargueros and in fact they wear the same costumes.

In conjunction with Easter there is a religious music festival and an orchid exhibition. In the cloister of the church of San Domenico an exhibition of handicrafts and works by artists is set up Colombians and foreigners.  

• Gastronomic congress (Congreso Nacional Gastronómico). September. Since 2003, the food festival has been celebrated in Popayán in line with UNESCO's decision to recognize the city's culinary traditions as a world-wide cultural event. The event is managed by the Popayán Gastronomic Association, which during the year promotes seven other food festivals with the spotlight, from time to time, on the culinary habits of a different country (Peru, Brazil, Spain, Chile, Mexico, Italy, France, etc.). 

What to do

Shopping

How to have fun

Where to eat

Moderate prices

• 2.44081-76.60971 Vegetarian Restaurant Maná, Calle 7, No. 956, ☎ 57 320 6713856. 

Average prices

• 2.43739-76.610942 The Cosecha Parrillada, Calle 11, No. 2–42 (Corner Calle 4 Norte), ☎ 57 2 8215628. Mon-Sun 11: 30-23: 00. 

Where stay

Moderate prices

• 2.44105-76.602411 Hostel Caracol, Calle 4, No. 2-21, ☎ 57 2 8207335. 
• 2.44343-76.604112 Arcada Payanesa hotel, Calle 2A, No. 4-62, ☎ 57 316 6931705. 
• 2.43991-76.601993 Morobik Café Hostal, Calle 5, No 1-01, ☎ 57 312 2171146. 

Average prices

• 2.4553-76.597074 San Martín hotels, Carrera 9, ☎ 57 318 3436673. 
• 2.44352-76.609185 Hotel Dann Monasterio, Calle 4, No. 10-1, ☎ 57 2 8242191, ☎ 57 1 8000 94 3266. It belongs to the Dann chain with hotels in various cities and tourist resorts of the Colombia andEcuador. This one in Popayán was converted from an ancient convent and therefore can be the ideal accommodation for those traveling for leisure purposes. The 47 rooms and 6 lounges are furnished in a style that evokes colonial atmospheres. At the center of the ancient cloister is a gushing and pleasant fountain is also the outdoor swimming pool. 

Safety

In June 2011 Popayán was the subject of bomb attacks with several car bombs detonated in the center, probably by guerrillas and mafia associations involved in drug smuggling. [1].

For decades now, there has been a significant presence of guerrillas in the countryside of Cauca. It can therefore be risky to travel overland along the Pan-American Highway in the direction of Ipiales and the border withEcuador. Before embarking on any land trip you should inquire about the situation in the area.

Illegal coca fields are cultivated by the natives in the most remote countryside of Cauca. Various guerrilla groups are present in the department to control the crop operations of which they hold a monopoly. The quantities of coca are then traded for weapons according to agreements with larger criminal organizations, capable of refining the coca leaves and exporting the finished product to various countries around the world.

The Colombian army tries to counter these illegal activities with military actions that often take on the dimensions of real battles. In these actions, the regular army may not hesitate to cross over into the territory Ecuadorian as already happened in the border area of Agrio lake (Amazonia). The guerrillas in fact run to hide across the border when they spot the presence of troops.

How to keep in touch

Around

Excursions are not recommended for the reasons mentioned above.

• 2.610833-76.3788893 Silvia - Place inhabited by indigenous people of Guambian ethnicity, who maintain their traditional lifestyle. Silvia it is crowded on weekend days, especially by the inhabitants of Cali who appreciate the much warmer climate and the exuberant vegetation that allows various outdoor activities.

• 1.916667-76.23333314 San Agustín - Pre-Columbian archaeological site, flourishing between the first and eighth centuries, included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1995.

• 2.583333-76.03333315 Tierradentro - It is one of the most important archaeological sites of the pre-Columbian age, including a necropolis with hypogeum tombs, the oldest of which date back to the 6th century. Since 1995, the Tierradentro site has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

• 2.2-76.354 Puracé National Natural Park

• 2.7-77.0833335 Munchique National Natural Park

Other projects

• Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Popayán
• Commons contains images or other files on Popayán

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