Popayán: Colombia's white city

Entirely whitewashed according to a colonial ordinance never rescinded, Popayán is home to one of the oldest and most solemn Holy Week processions in Latin America.

The colonial centre, entirely whitewashed with lime, is easily explored on foot.

The Basilica Cathedral of Popayán, rebuilt multiple times after successive earthquakes, dominates with its white facade the colonial historic center of the city.

Just steps away, the Umbría Bridge, made of white stone from the eighteenth century, crosses the river that divides the old city from the more modern neighborhoods, still traveled on foot daily.

Continuing on, one visits the Museum of Religious Art, which displays silverware and colonial paintings from churches in the region, preserved in climate-controlled rooms.

Toward evening, the university quarter of the city, home to one of Colombia's oldest universities, animates cafes and bookstores in the center.

Holy Week in Popayán, celebrated uninterruptedly since the sixteenth century, was recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage of humanity for the antiquity and solemnity of its nighttime processions.

A devastating earthquake in 1983, occurring precisely during Holy Week, destroyed much of the historic center, which was rebuilt in subsequent years faithfully respecting the original colonial style.