The white streets
White walls and carved wooden doors.
Bernard Gagnon — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Bernard Gagnon — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Bernard Gagnon — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lau23o — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Bernard Gagnon — CC BY-SA 4.0
The historic centre of Popayán is the heart of the capital of Cauca in south-western Colombia, known as the White City for the colour of its colonial buildings. It sits at 1,760 metres with an average of 18 °C between two ranges of the Andes, around the shady Parque Caldas. The Spanish conquistador Sebastián de Belalcázar arrived here in 1537. The city has produced 17 Colombian presidents and is home to the University of Cauca, founded in 1827. An earthquake on 31 March 1983 toppled many buildings, and many were rebuilt. UNESCO named it a city of gastronomy in 2005, and its Easter Week processions joined the intangible heritage list in 2009. You walk straight streets of white walls, carved wooden doors and dark balconies, past the churches of San Francisco and Santo Domingo and the cathedral with its white dome. A former monastery, now a hotel, has a wide arcaded court with a fountain and garden. At the edge of town stands El Morro del Tulcán, a pre-Hispanic pyramid already abandoned when the Spanish came, with a good view over the roofs. Popayán is 112.6 km in a straight line south of Cali. British travel advice excepts the city from its warning on the rest of Cauca, so check your government's advice before travelling, and consider arriving by air. Walk in the morning, and respect services if you enter the churches. The city fills up in Easter Week, so book early.
White walls and carved wooden doors.
A shady square at the centre.
An old pyramid with a view of the roofs.
Around Parque Caldas, central Popayán, Cauca department
British advice excepts the city from its warning on the rest of Cauca, but check your government's advice and consider flying rather than driving.
UNESCO chose it in 2005 for traditional cooking methods handed down orally in the region.