Colombia is a geographic riddle: The Andes, The Amazonas, rain forest, tropical lands and everlasting snow.

Guatavita lagoon, in present Colombia, was the most important site among the many chosen by Spanish conquerors to search the mythical treasures of El Dorado. The first who learn about Guatavita was Sebastian Balcazar who in 1534, knew about the existence of that lagoon. It is said that, once year, the cacique, covered himself with gold and submerged in its waters; and his people took rich offerings to the lagoon. There is a legend recorded by Spanish chronicler Fray Pedro Simon that tells how cacique Guatavita, surprised his beautiful wife being unfaithful with a warrior and, during a ceremonial dinner given in her honor, he forced her to eat a stew made with her lover’s sexual organs. In the middle of her husband’s drunkenness, Guatavita’s wife ran away with her baby daughter and threw herself into the lagoon. For some time then, there was a belief that a dragoon lived in the lagoon to which they offered gold and emeralds. Guatavita cried so much for what he had done that every year he made a ritual of repentance which became the most important ceremony for the tribe. The story tells that Guatavita sent one of his braggarts to recover the bodies and, after a plunge, the braggart returned saying that his wife and daughter were alive. He said that she was so delighted there that refused to return even when he told her about the promises of forgiveness her husband had made. Guatavita made his braggart return and bring at least his daughter, but he returned with her little dead body without eyes, saying that the dragoon had taken them out so that, without sight and soul, she would be useless to the men of this life and they would return her to the other life with her mother, which, naturally, was what Guatavita did. From that time on, each year, Guatavita presided a ceremony on which he had to anoint his body with resins and cover it with dust of gold and, in a raft amidst prayers, religious singings and dances of the attendants, he headed towards the center of the lagoon and threw offerings of gold and emeralds and then, submerged in its cold waters. Muiscas never doubted the fact that Guatavita’s wife was alive at the bottom of the lagoon and intervened in the solution of their needs. For this reason, they never stopped dedicating their prayers to her and offering gold and emeralds.

But the vallenato of a juggler in Valledupar’s taverns, the joyful and contagious cumbia, its flowers, the smell of coffee, the gleam of emeralds and, again, its women, change the sensations of the country of the Sacred Heart, as it is called.

SOME ORDER

Located in the northwestern part of South America, Colombia is, undoubtedly, a country blessed by nature. Its inhabitants, who are great dancers, drinkers and happy people, also have a great sense of humor. You definitely end up liking Colombia. Foreigners who get to know it a little bit, keep a memory of its nice, pretty and sensual face. No town, for unimportant as it might seem, lacks music. Of course, vallenato in the first place, followed by cumbia, papayera and puya, which mix with salsa, merengue and bolero, Colombians’ favorites. Aguardiente, rum and beer; lots of dance and parties till dawn, especially each Friday, the “cultural Fridays”. In case something was missing, Colombia is the country of fairs. The most famous, Manizales, which take place in January in one of the most beautiful capital cities of Caldas district; a city founded in 1848 on fertile lands near Nevado del Ruiz.

OF BEACHES AND OTHER LOVES

Going to Colombia and not visiting Cartagena is an unforgivable sin. The beach, as such, is not one of the best; but the combination of wall city with living nature offers exciting vibrations that exalt its history. If you are looking for a paradise-like sea, just one hour ride from Cartagena, you can find Rosario islands, an archipelago of coral reefs and crystal-clear waters were diving, sport fishing and exquisite sea food delight visitors. Cartagena de Indias, founded in 1553 by Don Pedro de Heredia, is one of the richest legacies from the Spanish colonial history in America. The wall city, with narrow streets flanked by beautiful front doors and high balconies, reveals a delicious taste for preserving the past. At the foot of Sierra Nevada and one hour ride from Cartagena is Santa Marta, located above one of the most attractive Caribbean harbors. To the east is Tairona Park, full of small inlets and wild isolated beaches, covering a 15 thousand hectares from which 3 thousand belong to the reef band. In the very Caribbean, are two of the main islands belonging to San Andres and Providencia Archipelago. This is another tourist emporium of the country that offers beaches, warm climate, intense night life and the excellencies of mountainous landscapes combined with the fascinating view of blue and sometimes turbulent waters. Let us go back to the big cites. Medellin, the capital of Antioquia, is one of the most pleasant cities in the country. The eternal spring is a close description; clean, organized, with a modern subway system, two million and a half inhabitants; it shines for its projection to the next century. Cali is rumba, with the unforgettable strut of women while walking and its nightlife that don’t stop laughing with the optimism of an agricultural region with accent in the sugar and graphic industry. Santa Fe de Bogota, 2 600 meters above sea level, is a cold city with a chaotic traffic and an accelerated rhythm of life. But, on Fridays, it lays on the feet of spree and gently shows a large number of restaurants with excellent quality. It is hard to understand, of course. And, perhaps, only explainable in the phrase: country of Sacred Heart.