Guaduas

Guaduas stood on the Camino Real, the road linking Bogota to the river port of Honda and from there to the coast, which made it a stop for everyone travelling between the capital and the outside world for three centuries - the plaza, the church and the low colonial streets date from that. Policarpa Salavarrieta was born here around 1795; she worked as a seamstress in Bogota while passing information to the independence forces, was caught and executed by firing squad in 1817 at about twenty-two, and became the best-known woman of the independence period - her house is a museum and she appears on the currency. The plaza is unusually large for the town's size. Salto de Versalles, a waterfall, is nearby.

Background

The town is named after a kind of bamboo cane. Andrés Díaz Venero de Leiva founded it on April 20, 1572, but it lay empty until Fray Tomas de Morales established La Soledad, a Franciscan monastery, there on December 13, 1610. It was recognised as a villa on December 27, 1644. In 1809 the Capuchin architect Fray Domingo de Petres, who also directed work on the Cathedral of Bogotá, began a church here. Níspero trees from the West Indies were introduced in the late 18th century, when the town was a centre of botanical experiment. Its main plaza appears on the ten-thousand pesos bill, and in 2010 Guaduas was named a Pueblo Patrimonio, a heritage town.

Source: Wikipedia, "Guaduas"

What you'll find

• A stop on the old royal road - between Bogota and the river.
• A large colonial plaza - out of proportion to the town.
• La Pola's house - Policarpa Salavarrieta, executed in 1817.
• A waterfall nearby - Salto de Versalles.

When to go

Year round. Half a day.

Things to know

The main road passes close and brings traffic. Museums keep irregular hours. It is warm and humid at this altitude. Most visitors stop rather than stay.

Nearby

Honda is west on the Magdalena; Villeta is east.

Key facts