Cartago

Cartago was founded in 1540 and moved to its present site in 1691, and its long-standing craft is embroidery - hand-worked in cotton and silk thread on cloth for table linen, blouses, christening gowns and household pieces, taught within families and sold from workshops and shops along the main streets. Machine embroidery has taken most of the market, so the hand-worked pieces are correspondingly expensive and are what to ask for. The Casa del Virrey, an eighteenth-century merchant house with a carved stone doorway and a wooden balcony, is the best-preserved colonial building and is open as a museum. The town sits in the hot Cauca valley at the northern end of the department, close to the coffee region border.

What you actually see

• Hand embroidery in cotton and silk - worked in families and workshops.
• The Casa del Virrey - an eighteenth-century house with a carved doorway.
• A town founded 1540, moved 1691 - to its present site.
• The hot northern Cauca valley - at the coffee region border.

When to go

Year round. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Most embroidery sold is machine-made - hand work costs considerably more and must be asked for. The town is hot. It is often passed through between Cali and the coffee region. Museums keep short hours.

Nearby

Pereira and the coffee region are north-east; Cali is south.