It’s cold and rainy. A flock of doves takes off all of a sudden, to land in the middle of the square a minute later. Palm trees and buildings with colourful facades surround the square. A woman selling tropical foods from her mobile stall takes cover under her umbrella. Despite the weather, this view over the town of Zipaquirá just oozes South American culture. It’s here that I realise how amazing it is that I am now, for the first time, on this continent.
After my first two days in Bogotá I meet the Villaveces family, two sisters and a brother, whom are friends of a friend of mine back in the Netherlands. We explore the Financial District, Parque 93, Zona Rosa and have dinner in Zona G where we enjoy some Colombian beers and make travel plans for the next day: visiting the town of Zipaquirá. After a cheese croissant and coffee at the campus, I leave the capital city to visit the renowned salt cathedral in the municipality Zipaquirá together with the Villaveces family. After a beautiful car trip showing lots of the lush and green country side, we arrive at the town square of Zipaquirá.
We go up the mountain by car and then have to take the stairs before we reach the entrance of the Catedral de Sal. A salt mine that was already in use in the 5th century BC by the Muisca civilization and was slowly turned into a cathedral by miners. The main underground church was built in 1932 and is called a Jewel of Modern Architecture.
After descending for about 200 meters underground and spotting fourteen carved out small chapels, we reach the main altar. It’s chilly down here, 200 metres below the Colombian soil. I cannot imagine a life beneath the ground, but it was the reality for salt mine workers in Zipaquirá. To ask for protection during their shift they prayed at a cross they built deep inside the heart of the cave. Crosses like this one will guide the way during your way down into the Cathedral.
The main altar is an illuminated cross. It has a height of about thirty meters. Looking up, I see the power of the old ocean in the beautiful pattern on the walls and ceiling. Scars caused by the water and human tools decorate the inside of the magnificent Salt Cathedral near Bogotá.
