Colorful Guatapé

While based in Medellin, we made an excursion to the town of Guatapé and the surrounding region. Before reaching the town, we stopped for a morning snack of hot chocolate and pan de queso (a cheese bread similar to almojabanas). Alejo revealed the secret to making potently rich Colombian hot chocolate: you dissolve a pure chocolate bar into water sweetened with panela (a block of the unrefined juice of sugar cane). 

 

Alejo holding a disk of panela

Master baker Carlos demonstrated how he forms the dough for the irresistible cheese bread. Of course, we were able to sample some still warm from the oven. 

 

The clouds had rolled in while we were finishing our snack and the sky looked threatening by the time we reached a nearby marina where boarded a small boat for a ride around an artificial lake. 

A towering rock called El Peñon de Guatapé dominated the landscape. This 60-65 million year old monolith is part of the Antioquia batholith – a type of igneous rock that forms when magma rises into the earth's crust, but does not erupt onto the surface.

 

Mansions belonging to Colombia’s wealthiest families dotted the shores of the lake. Alejo also pointed out the ruins of the house that belonged to notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar. 

We disembarked in Guatapé and boarded lavishly decorated tuk-tuks for a ride around the scenic town. 

Guatapé, located about 2 hours from Medellin, is one of Colombia’s most popular tourist destinations. People come to see the colorful and distinctive zocalos (painted bas reliefs) that decorate many houses in the town center. 

 

Alejo introduced us to Nacho (short for Ignacio), a local zocalo artist. 

Close-up of a zocalo

Nacho told us about the religious background of zocalos. It grew out of a local tradition of donating sheep during the Corpus Christi celebration. Around 1919, people decided to decorate the facades of their houses with three dimensional images of sheep. The designs changed over time to become more geometric. Nowadays, many zocalos tell something about their life or identity of the owner of the house.

We had a chance to see zocalo-making in progress as we explored the town on foot. The first step is to outline the design on the wall. The artist then roughs up the surface of the wall with a chisel and applies cement. When the cement is dry, he or she carves into it. Finally, the design is painted with enamel paint. 

Throughout Guatapé, we were dazzled by the vibrancy of the colors.

We concluded our visit to Guatapé at a parrilla for a hearty lunch of grilled steak or chicken, potatoes, and salad.