In the historic center of Popayán all houses are painted white. However what looks really beautiful has a violent history.
During La Violencia, the ten-year period of civil war (1948–58) in Colombia, the battle between the Colombian Conservative Party and the Colombian Liberal Party was especially brutal in Cauca and therefore in it's capital Popayán. The color of the Conservatives was blue, and the one of the Liberals red, so if a house was painted in one of those colors the residents were in severe danger to be killed by the enemy party. That's why the people of Popayán started to paint their houses white - as a protest against the violence and as a sign for peace.
We had a beautiful hostel at the main square (Plaza de Caldas) in Popayán with a room right next to the cathedral overlooking the park.
On Tuesday we went to Silvia, a little village 53km from Popayán to see the local market that takes place there every Tuesday. People - mainly indigenous Guambiano Indians - come in from the surrounding villages, sell their fruits, vegetables, meat, traditional medicine, and catch up on the latest news. The Guambianos still wear their traditional cloths consisting of blue skirts for men and black skirts with a blue poncho for women.
 |
| View from our room |
 |
| Our room overlooking Parque Caldas |
 |
| Bar in Popayán - it was so nice to hear rock music again (not only salsa and cumbia) |
 |
| Our room right next to the cathedral |
 |
| March for peace on the memorial day of la "Bogatazo" (the trigger for La Violencia in Colombia) |
 |
| Market day in Silvia |
 |
| traditional Chiva |
 |
| Guambiano Indians wearing their traditional cloths |
 |
| Indians selling "Minutos" - a few cents for calls |
