Popayán

Colombia's "White City", with gleaming white colonial architecture, UNESCO-listed Holy Week processions and a UNESCO City of Gastronomy designation.

Popayán is the capital of Cauca Department in southwestern Colombia, at about 1,740 m with a population of around 330,000; it was founded by the Spanish in 1537. In colonial times it was a religious, aristocratic and academic center on the route between Quito and Bogotá, and its old town is uniformly whitewashed, earning it the name "White City"; after independence it produced 17 presidents, so it's also called the "City of Presidents". A major earthquake in 1983 badly damaged the old town, but restoration has preserved its character. Its Holy Week processions, held for more than 400 years, were inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2009: in the week before Easter, the faithful carry heavy platforms bearing religious statues slowly through the white streets at night. Popayán is also a UNESCO City of Gastronomy, where you can try local meat pies, iced fruit drinks and traditional Cauca cooking. The main sights are packed into a dozen or so blocks of the old town: Parque Caldas, the Clock Tower, the Cathedral, the colonial churches and house museums are all linked on foot, and you can climb El Morro de Tulcán or up to the Belén Chapel for sunset. Day trips include the volcano in Puracé National Park, the Coconuco hot springs and the Tuesday Indigenous market in Silvia. The climate is mild year-round (18–24°C), with drier spells in December–March and July–August; book well ahead for Holy Week. Getting there: the airport north of the city has flights to Bogotá; Cali is about 3 hours by road, and to the south you can continue to San Agustín Archaeological Park. Plan on 2–3 days. Note that security in some rural parts of Cauca can be complicated, so check the latest situation before leaving the city.

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