Zipaquirá: the Underground Salt Cathedral

Posted on 30. Oct, 2011 by in Destinations, South America

Zipaquirá is a small city about 35 miles out of Bogota. It’s a really popular day trip for visitors, and not just because it’s an absolutely lovely city:
The main attraction here isn’t the beautiful church or the old town. It’s actually what’s happening below the surface that people care about.
You see, Zipaquirá has had a major salt mine for thousands of years. Salt mining is profitable but pretty dangerous for the miners who use dynamite and pickaxes to chip away the rock salt. It’s enough to make anyone turn to religion. About 50 years ago the miner’s decided to turn their talents to creating a giant underground church, carved almost entirely out of the salt:
Talk about a serious labor of love. The result is an absolutely enormous church over 200 meters deep in the mountain. The main sanctuaries were created by adding on to already existing mining tunnels, creating cavernous spaces lit up by LED lights.
This is actually the second Salt Cathedral the miners carved. The first one, built in the 1950′s was too close to the surface and was destroyed by a flood in the eighties (as you can imagine, salt and water don’t mix). Undaunted they created an even bigger, more elaborate church. It took four years and cost millions of dollars- which they’ve made back and more with tourism.
One long hallway has enormous symbolic depictions of the stations of the cross. The devout make pilgimages to the mine, and there are stone kneelers all around.
Beautiful but uhh, kinda trippy. The place is illuminated with multicolored LED lights which only increase the dramatic effect of the caves sharp edges.
It’s a strange and beautiful place. There is a certain solemnity deep inside the earth.  It’s a serious labor of love and you can feel the devotion of the miners who created it. Although the place may indeed be a major tourist attraction, it’s one with a real heart.

Practical Stuff:

Zipaquira is a popular day trip from Bogota. To get there you can either take a “tourist train” which takes around 3.5 hours each way or you can take the more local approach: take the bus to the edge of town and hail a local shuttle bus which will have you in town in about an hour for the rate of around $2 each way.
Entrance to the Cathedral is 20,000 pesos (around $11 US) and includes a guided tour and a really hokie 3-d movie.
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9 Responses to “Zipaquirá: the Underground Salt Cathedral”

  1. enjirux

    30. Oct, 2011

    wow – this is amazing. I’ve read about this cathedral but wasn’t quite sure if I should add it to my “must go” list. Now it definitly goes on to the list.

    great photos!

    Reply to this comment

  2. Daniele

    30. Oct, 2011

    I’ve been there and it’s absolutely stunning!!
    Great pictures btw, much better than the ones I took.

    Reply to this comment

  3. Bumblebeeandtheyank

    30. Oct, 2011

    I enjoyed the day trip too… and even the quirky amusment park style of the place.

    http://www.bumblebeeandtheyank.com/2011/07/13/photo-of-the-day-20-amusement/

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  4. Dean

    31. Oct, 2011

    How interesting. I didn’t realise rock salt could be carved like that, and so detailed. The lighting is really cool as well.

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    • Steph

      06. Nov, 2011

      On the roof you can see the chisel marks, the whole thing must have been painstaking to do.

      Reply to this comment

  5. Maria

    31. Oct, 2011

    Beautiful, eerie and spellbinding!

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  6. Emily @Travelated

    01. Nov, 2011

    Those pictures are so engrossing, and so very surreal! I can’t believe it’s a church carved almost entirely out of salt. I love the engraving of the leaves; it’s so eerily beautiful.

    Reply to this comment

    • Steph

      06. Nov, 2011

      Yeah they really work the lighting to make it look extra dreamy.

      Reply to this comment

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