Riosucio

Riosucio grew from two neighbouring settlements - one indigenous, one of Spanish and mixed population - founded side by side by two priests on 7 August 1819 and joined by decree in 1847, and they refused to mix, keeping two churches and two plazas at either end of one street with a wall between them for years. The Carnaval de Riosucio grew out of the attempt to reconcile them: a devil figure was adopted as the symbol under whose authority both sides could celebrate together, which is a genuinely unusual founding logic for a festival. It is held every two years in January of odd years, over several days, with cuadrillas performing satirical verses, a large devil effigy, processions and drinking of guarapo. The town has substantial Embera indigenous population and reservations nearby.

History

Before the Spanish the area was home to peoples such as the Turzagas, Chamíes and Pirza, at places like La Montaña, Cañamomo and Quiebralomo. On 7 August 1819 two priests, José Ramón Bueno of Popayán and José Bonifacio Bonafont of Socorro, founded two towns side by side with their parishioners, and in 1847 a decree joined them into one; from 1886 Riosucio was the capital of the province of Marmato in Cauca, and since 1905 it has belonged to Caldas. Gold from Quiebralomo, La Montaña, Bonafont and San Lorenzo, salt springs and coal were its old economy, and the carnival, born of the old rivalry between Quiebralomo and La Montaña and once the feast of Los Matachines, took the name Carnival of Riosucio in 1912 (Spanish Wikipedia, Riosucio - Caldas).

What's there

• Two plazas and two churches - from the two towns founded in 1819.
• A devil as the carnival's presiding figure - adopted to reconcile the halves.
• Cuadrillas performing satirical verse - the carnival's core.
• Held every two years - January of odd-numbered years.

When to go

January of odd-numbered years for the carnival. Several days.

Good to know

The carnival is biennial - in even years there is no festival. Accommodation during it is very scarce. The town is otherwise quiet and remote. Roads are winding.

Nearby

Supia is south; Manizales is south-east.