The Monumentos of Valledupar

Location:
Valledupar, Colombia

Monument

By Lorraine Caputo

A dozen public monuments pay tribute to Valledupar’s history and culture. These statues are mostly located on roundabouts on the city’s major thoroughfares.

• Revolución en Marcha—by Rodrigo Arenas Betancourt (Plaza Alfonso López)

• El Viajero (Carrera 9 and Calle 12)

• Hernando de Sanatana—homage to Valledupar’s founder (Calle 21 and Carrera 7A)

• Cacique Upar—the Tupe leader for whom the town is named (Avenida Guatapurí / Calle 44 and Avenida Simón Bolívar / Carrera 18D, in front of the bus terminal)

• Obelisco (Avenida Badillo / Calle 44, with Avenida Villa Olímpica / Carrera 31 and Avenida Ayala / Diagonal 21)

• Guajira Cantos del Viento (Avenida Villa Olímpica / Carrera 31 and Avenida La Popa / Calle 16)

• María Mulata—Avenida Pedro Castro Monsalvo / Calle 16 and Carrera 19

• Los Gallos—representing the strong relationship between cock fighting and Vallenato music (Carrera 19)

• Folclor Vallenato—depicting a traditional Vallenato trio (Diagonal 21)

• Poporos—to the three principle indigenous nations of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the Arhuaco, Kogui and Arzario, by Jorge Maestre (Avenida de la Juventud, by the Coliseo del Festival)

• Pedazo de Acordeón—by Gabriel Betrán, in memory of accordian master Alejandro Durán Díaz (Calle 1 and Carrera 9, Parque de la Leyenda Vallenata)

The last monument to visit, La Sirena, recounts the legend of a young woman who dared taboos and swam in the Río Guatapurí on Good Friday. It’s no longer forbidden, so cool off now at the Balneario Hurtado.

Getting There
Negotiate with a taxi or a moto to take you to all the monuments in one fell swoop, or walk.

Travel Tips: Beware the afternoon heat and sun, especially if walking.

Travel Skills: None

You Need to Bring: Take hat, sun screen, water.

The colonial center, Balneario Hurtado, Arhuaco villages in the Sierra Nevada.