Day 2 - 2 Nov 2012
La Candelaria is a historic neighbourhood in the Bogota city where there is a huge Spanish influence on the architecture of the houses and churches. The district is named after Nuestra Senora de la, and this is also the birthplace of Bogota capital city, founded in 1538 by Spanish conquistador Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada.
Within Candelaria, one will find colourful buildings alongside cobblestone streets. Plaza Bolivar is the heart of the city and preparations are currently underway for Christmas.
Nearby, Bogota's Archaeological Museum (MUSA) exhibits a variety of objects found in pre-Hispanic cultures such as Antioquia, Tumaco, Tayrona, San Agustin and Quimbaya, also known as the indigenous people. A common practice adopted by these indigenous people is the emphasis on the human expressions and body parts when it comes to designing objects that they used in their daily life e.g. teapots, urns.
During an English guided tour, I was surprised to learn that despite being thousands of miles apart, the indigenous people share more similarities with the traditional Chinese than I would have expected them to be. For example, they consider their Chieftain as a descendant of the sun just as how the Chinese would perceive their Emperor to be in ancient times. Similar to the Chinese beliefs, these people believe in the importance of balancing the yin and the yang, and how certain elements e.g. gold can be used to suppress water. Definitely an "ear-opening" experience!
interesting piece :) hope you're enjoying all that the country has to offer!
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