Near Villa de Leiva Overview

By Lorraine Caputo

Ráquira in Chibcha means “The City of Pots.” To this day, the workshops of this village give credence to the name by making the animal-shaped ceramics for which they are famous. Most visitors come for the Sunday market, but any time is pleasant. The narrow streets are lined with colorful houses and gardens. Ráquira’s main temple dates from about 1600. Six kilometers (3.5 miles) away in the Desierto de la Candelaria is Convento Monasterio Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria, an Agustinian monastery founded in 1597. Its museum of religious art and antiques is open to the public ($2.65). The monastery additionally has a restaurant and hostel (Tel.: 8-257-7837 / 315-257-4152 / 310-261-3135. In Bogotá: Calle 73A 69A-69, Tel.: 1-251-6886 / 252-9954, Fax: 1-430-1075).

(Altitude: 2,200 m / 7216 ft, Population: 1,600, City Code: 8)