ICPEN Presidency Colombia - Out of town getaways
Lake Guatavita
Lake Guatavita
Lake Guatavita is located in the Cordillera Oriental of the Colombian Andes in the municipality of Sesquilé in the Almeida's Province. The Lake is associated with the ancient Legend of El Dorado, according to which the Muisca chief, filled the lagoon with gold and treasures as an offering to the goddess of water.
The proximate town was built in the sixties, to relocate the inhabitants of the old town submerged by the construction of the Reservoir of Tominé. Its urban design refers to the colonial era, with white houses with clay tiles, and small squares.
Catedral de Sal de Zipaquirá
Catedral de Sal de Zipaquirá
The Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá is an underground Roman Catholic church built within the tunnels of a salt mine 200 metres (220 yd) underground in a halite mountain near the city of Zipaquirá, in Cundinamarca, Colombia. It is a tourist destination and place of pilgrimage in the country. The temple at the bottom has three sections, representing the birth, life, and death of Jesus. The icons, ornaments and architectural details are hand carved in the halite rock. Some marble sculptures are included.
The Salt Cathedral is considered one of the most notable achievements of Colombian architecture, being described as a "Jewel of Modern Architecture". The cathedral represents a valuable cultural, environmental and religious patrimony for the Colombian people. The cathedral is a functioning church that receives as many as 3,000 visitors on Sundays, but it has no bishop and therefore no official status as a cathedral in Catholicism.
