Monguí - The Culture Icon

 Monguí is not a big town. It is small. In fact the urban zone of Monguí has less than 3000 people and including the rural zone, less than 5000 people. It neither has the advantage of access like Villa de Leiva nor the popularity of Barichara that sees a ton of visitors and backpackers. Monguí on the other side sees less visitors and hence is untouched by the ‘tourist bane’ phenomenon. 

Once you land up in Monguí, there are some must do activities. Let us start looking at them one by one.

Why does Monguí exist? 

Monguí is an important point in the ancient trade route between the Andean domains of the Sugamuxis and the plains in the east. Their trade included corn, salt, emeralds etc. Beyond Monguí is the Páramo de Ocetá and the Páramo de Pisba beyond which are the ancient plains (Los Llanos) that extend till modern day Venezuela. Monguí thereby is the first settlement in the Andean region. Add to that the access to Sogamoso, the capital of the Sugamuxis.

The main square

The main square in the center of the town forms the principal attraction of the town. Surrounding the square are the cobblestone streets and the colonial style buildings, and symbols associated with football manufacturing. The square is huge and there are a lot of monuments associated with the town’s culture.

The monument of the football pays homage to the football industry that once flourished here. Now all of those manufacturing have moved to the bigger towns. Monguí only makes footballs as souvenirs today. There are over a dozen shops in the center that sell footballs. Just be sure that the footballs are made in Monguí and not the cheaper Made in China balls.

Cosedora de balones - The football stitcher made Monguí famous all over Colombia. This monument here today stands as a symbol to the influence that Monguí once held over the world of soccer in Colombia. 

Trabajador minero - The miner of Monguí made the region rich by his hard work in the coal mines around this region. Today though there are not a lot of mines standing, the neighbouring town of Tópaga has the bigger ones. 

The monument to the indegenos culture pays tribute to the rich culture from the indigenous communities of this region.

The church

The church is called the Iglesia Basìlica Nuestra Señora de Monguì or Our Lady of Monguí built during early 1600. The masonry or the style is a perfect example of the Calicanto architecture. The mixture is made of lime, sand, molasses and beef blood.  The church looks like a fortress that was typical of the Franciscans that first arrived here during the colonial time. There is a convent that is right next to the church which hosts a permanent religious exhibition of the arts of the Franciscans. The tour is just about 10,000 pesos and is well worth the money for knowing the history and culture of the conversion methods, the history of this region. There is an entire corridor of church models from the region, do not miss it. The tours of the old functional musical instruments, the old kitchen and the dining area are something to watch out for.

 

A few blocks away from the church lies the most famous monument of Monguí - Puente Real de Calicanto or the Royal Calicanto Bridge over the Morro river. This bridge was built in the seventeenth century and is considered to be older than the main church. The bridge provided an important connection to Sogamoso back in the day and the materials that were used for constructing the church were transported through here. The bridge is a meeting point for locals and there is a nice little park just underneath the bridge. Watching the river flow witnessing the cultural rise of Monguí and for centuries have made this land fertile is an excellent experience. There are also nice walks up the mountain and to the Páramo here. The river Morro eventually flows into the Chicamocha river downhill. 

Now, considering that the town is not too big, there are not a lot of restaurant options. The handful that are in the town are very good. My personal favorite was DiPisa Gourmet, which is right across the Calicanto bridge, overlooking the bridge and the river. As the name suggests, this is a gourmet Italian place with a rich menu. Do not miss out the garlic bread and the vegetarian pizza. Close by there is a bar Café - Bar, Museo del Indio Rómulo. This place has good collections of Bruder, Boyacá’s own artesanal beer. There is also comfortable seating and the theme is Indio Rómulo.

Back to the square there are some more restaurants here and as the day moves on, the colder and the windier it gets. At this altitude of about 3200 meters above sea level, the sun and the wind are stronger. There are some nearby towns that are pretty as well - Tópaga and Mongua. Further down is the town of Corrales.

 Corrales

Tópaga 

Mongua