San Jacinto

San Jacinto makes hamacas on vertical looms, woven in bands of strong colour with the ends finished in knotted fringes, and they are sold along the highway and from workshops in the town - the weaving is largely women's work and the designs carry names and conventions. The town is also a centre of gaita music: the gaita is a flute made from a cactus stem with a beeswax and charcoal head and a quill mouthpiece, played in pairs with maracas and drums, and the form is one of the roots of cumbia. Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto, a group from the town, have played it internationally for decades and won a Grammy. The Montes de Maria region suffered severely in the armed conflict and many residents were displaced.

What you actually see

• Hammocks woven on vertical looms - in bands of strong colour.
• Gaita flutes made from cactus stems - with beeswax and quill heads.
• A root of cumbia - played in pairs with drums and maracas.
• A region marked by displacement - the Montes de Maria conflict years.

When to go

December to April. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Highway stalls resell work made elsewhere - buy in the town for the real thing. Music is played at events rather than continuously. The town has limited services. Heat is heavy.

Nearby

El Carmen de Bolivar is south; Cartagena is north-west.