What do you get when you have a town located away from major trade routes in a high altitude valley of semi-desert terrain, and with no mineral deposits nearby to exploit. A town that has undergone little development in the last 400 years. As a consequence, it is one of the few towns in Colombia to have preserved much of its original colonial style and architecture: the streets and large central plaza are still paved with cobblestones, and many buildings date from the sixteenth century. This has resulted in Villa de Leyva becoming one of Colombia’s principal tourist attractions for Colombians. It was declared a National Monument in 1954 to preserve its architecture.
We spent a night in Bogota near the bus terminal, then took the 3 1/2 hour ride to Villa de Leyva. Our taxi took us through the cobble-rock streets to our Airbnb room, nearly destroying its springs on the way. Ironically, the streets paved with river rocks were built in the 60’s by a mayor that wanted it to seem more colonial.
The main plaza is the largest in South America. It has become the gastronomic capital of the Boyaca Departmento (state).
It was a great place to relax.
Wow…what a beautiful spot. Great photos, as always! When does your cruise set sail?
So picturesque. This must be a movie set, yes?
You find fabuous places to visit and photograph. We don’t know anyone who has explored
Ecuador, Peru and Columbia as comprehensively as you! Kudos! ellie