Monguí - Another Pueblo Patrimonio in the Colombian Eastern Andes Range

Monguí is a small pueblo located in the Boyacá Department about two hours east of Tunja. To get there without a car, you need to take a small bus from Tunja to Sogamoso and then a second small bus to Monguí.

Of the three pueblo patrimonios we visited in this eastern sector of the Andes, Monguí was the quietest, smallest and most authentic in that the local indigenous people in their traditional dress outnumbered tourists in their shorts and socks pulled way to high. One of the reasons for the absence of throngs of tourists is that Monguí is not only a bit off the beaten path but it is cold. Days are chilly and nights are colder all year round.

The pueblo itself is graced with beautiful architecture and artwork. Plenty of stairs to climb, overlooks to visit and always a beautiful view. As with virtually every small village to large city in Latin America, it also contains a plaza or park and a number of Catholic churches. Isabel served as the model throughout.

One of our most adventurous activities was hiking to the Santuario de la Sagrada familia (Sagrada family shrine) at the edge of the páramo. It took us 3 1/2 hours to get to our stopping point and much of it was climbing. The páramo is an alpine-like ecosystem that contains low vegetation, small trees and shrubs. Besides just enjoying the views, we were in search of the "frailejones" plants which are more or less endemic to the páramo zone especially in Colombia. I had missed them on both of my previous visits to Colombia.

This time we were able to see plenty of them along with great views.

Coffee is one of the key symbols of Colombia.