Monumento a la Dignidad de la Raza U’wa - Monument Guican - Colombia

On the road out of Güicán is a monument facing north towards the indigenous nation it honors. This is Monumento a la Dignidad de la Raza U’wa (Monument to the Dignity of the U’wa Race), created in 2007 by Delfín Ibáñez Carrero. It captures one of the most important events in U’wa history: the mass suicide at El Peñol de los Muertos. From the towering arms of Mother Earth tattooed with petrographs leap bodies of men, women and children. A condor takes flight, indigenous faces peering through its feathers. Engraved on its base is a U’wa proverb for us to remember: “God sleeps in the rocks, breathes in the plants, dreams in the animals, whispers in the waters and awakens in man.”

Location:

Carrera 5 direction Cordoncillo

Monument Types:
Monument

Getting There

Walk down Carrera 5 to the edge of town. The monument is on a roundabout island.

Travel Tips:

The Camino Deshecho and the rock paintings, the Aguas Termales and El Chorrerón, and Peñol de los Muertos near Güicán; Parque Nacional Natural El Cocuy.

Price Description:

Free.

Relative price: Free

Travel Skills: None

You Need to Bring:

Bring along water, snacks, sun screen and hat.

Currencies accepted
Colombian Peso

About this Page

By Lorraine Caputo

Upon re-declaring her independence at age 29, Lorraine Caputo packed her trusty Rocinante (so her knapsack's called) and began...

Updated: 21 Mar 2011