They say that Villa de Leyva , founded in 1572, is one of the most beautiful, well-preserved colonial towns in Colombia. I haven't seen much of the rest of the country yet, so I can't really compare. But having traveled a lot in Latin America, I've developed an eye for cobblestone, whitewash and red-tiled rooves. And after a detailed survey of the town, including the lanes, plazas, churches, courtyards, cafés and a bar blasting Ozzy Osbourne, I agree that it's a magnificent example of Spanish Colonial.
We hopped a bus from Bogotá bound for Tunja, capital of the department of Boyacá. This department is known for high hill country, hearty food, dairying and a traditional campesino (country) lifestyle.We were told. Waiting at the bus station for a buseta to Villa de Leyva, we meditated on life while I drank coffee and ate chicken empanadas. My mind literally went blank amidst the wind-whipped trash, scavenging dogs and shouting bus touts, who constantly demanded to know where we were going. We eventually got our bus and wound through dry hills full of weird succulents. I recognized some of my friends from the Southwest, as well as monstrous yuccas ten feet tall, pipestem cacti and scrubby thorny shrubs. Arid.
Soldiers stroll the plaza at sunset
The next two days were spents pedalling the countryside and exercising our calves and ankles on the cobblestones. We found a nice little hotel with a quiet coutryard out back, presided over by a friendly limping lady in pointy boots and a charming smile. After months of winter it was heartening to see flowering trees of magenta and yellow, and an afternoon rainshower was a welcome break from the dry, bright climate as stone and roof darkened with damp. Writing notes in a café, a girl smiled shyly when I asked her the names of local plants, "Yo no sé, pero mi madre. . ." Her mother came out of the kitchen wiping her hands on a towel and laughed at my pictures of tall, spiky plants.
Making friends
Going to Villa de Leyva was like a trip to a living past. I hope they manage to maintain the architecture, because in so many places in the developing world that seems to suffer the most. Old manners remain - the small shops, the greengrocer, a slower pace of life - but beautiful buildings often give way to concrete shacks, steel rebar sticking out of the rooftops like awkward antennae. Nothing stays the same, but a quite a few people I talked to in Leyva seemed proud of their town. Check it out if you get the chance (and if you're a fan of old Land Rovers and Landcruisers.)
La Iglesia del Carmen
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