Exploring Colombia: The Seven Wonders Of Colombia

The Seven Wonders of Colombia was selected during a 2007 competition that was sponsored by El Tiempo, a nationally distributed, broadsheet daily newspaper in the country. The public was asked to vote for man-made structures with architectural, historical or engineering values that deserved to be brought to world attention.

7. Teatro de Cristóbal Colón -

The Teatro de Cristóbal Colón or the Christopher Columbus Theatre is a Colombian theater located in Bogota. It is designated as the National Theater of the country and one of the Seven Wonders of Colombia. The theater was built in 1885 in the Neoclassical style by Pietro Cantini, an Italian architect. The inauguration ceremony was held on October 27, 1892. The auditorium of the Teatro de Cristóbal Colón is in the traditional horse-shoe shaped form. It has been modeled on Paris’ Palais Garnier’s layout. On August 11, 1975, the theater was also declared as a National Monument.

6. Tierradentro -

A National archeological park, the Tierradentro is located in the Inza municipality of Colombia, 100 km away from Popayán, the capital of the Department of Cauca where the park is located. The area is quite famous for its pre-Colombian hypogea, several of which were excavated in the area. The hypogeums at the Tierradentro are associated with the typical features of westward orientation, the presence of a spiral staircase, a main chamber and several small chambers surrounding the main one. Each of these chambers hosts a corpse. The walls of the hypogea are painted with zoomorphic and anthropomorphic patterns. Red, white, and black are the most common colors used in the paintings. Remains of fabrics and pottery are strewn across the graves.

5. Ciudad Perdida -

One of the Seven Wonders of Colombia, the Ciudad Perdida is a major archeological site located in the Sierra Nevada city of Colombia. The city is one of the most ancient cities of the world, possibly founded in about 800 CE. The archeological site was accidentally discovered in 1972 by a group of treasure looters who arrived at the ruins of the site after following a series of stone steps up the mountainside. Soon, the local black market began selling figurines made of gold and ceramic urns. Upon receiving this news, the archeologists of the region visited the site in 1976 and reconstruction work was soon initiated.

4. Military Architecture of Cartagena -

The city of Cartagena is a Colombian port located on the country’s northern coast in the Caribbean Coast Region. The port is the Bolivar Department’s capital a3nd houses a population of 971,592. Tourism, petrochemicals and maritime industries constitute the backbone of the economy of this fifth biggest city in Colombia. The city of Cartagena was founded on June 1, 1533, but settlements in the region date back to around 4000 BC. The city also served as an important political and administrative center during the Spanish colonial rule. Recognizing the historical, architectural, and archeological importance of the city, the city of Cartagena has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

3. San Agustín Archaeological Park -

One of the Seven Wonders of Colombia and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the San Agustín Archaeological Park is famous as the biggest necropolis in the world. It houses the largest collection of megalithic sculptures and religious monuments.

2. Las Lajas Sanctuary -

The Las Lajas Sanctuary is a basilica church in Nariño, a southern Colombian Department. The church was built between 1916 and 1949 using the Gothic Revival style. An incident of miraculous healing is associated with the establishment of the Las Lajas Sanctuary. It is said that a deaf-mute girl and her mother had sought refuge in a rock shelter in the area that now hosts the Las Lajas Sanctuary during a storm. A miracle happened, and the girl started hearing voices although she was deaf. Since then, locals started visiting the site praying for miracles to happen and soon a church was established at the site.

1. Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá -

The Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá is an underground Roman Catholic Church, and one of the Seven Wonders of Colombia for its uniqueness and historical significance. The church was built within the tunnels of a 2000 meters long salt mine in a halite mountain near the Colombian town of Zipaquirá. The cathedral is a popular tourist destination and pilgrimage site in the country. Since it has no bishop, it does not have the status of an official cathedral. There are three sections of the temple which represent the birth, life, and death of Christ.