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Argentina

<h3><strong>The Mapuche People</strong></h3>
<p>The Mapuche indigenous people have been around since at least 600 years BCE, and are the most numerous first peoples in South America, at more than 1.5 million people. Most Mapuche live in south-central Chile, southwestern Argentina and parts of present-day Patagonia. There was conflict as the Spanish conquistadors arrived in the 16th through to the 18th centuries, with much resistance from the Mapuche. As the Spanish gave way to Chilean independence, the Mapuche were moved to reservations and their traditional lands used for agriculture, with some land disputes continuing to this day.</p>
<p>A collection of various groups of people linked by their common language, Mapudungun, Mapuche means ‘the people of the earth’. Truly connected to the land, much of the culture features healing ceremonies and the use of traditional herbal medicine. There are traditions of the Mapuche shaman, the <em>machi</em> (usually female), who perform ceremonies to heal and ward off enemies or evil. There is also a rich tradition of textile-making (woven blankets or ponchos) that is passed down from one generation to the next, along with silverwork due to trade with Spaniards and Chileans.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-40209 aligncenter" src="https://www.butterfield.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/mapuche-people-732.jpg" alt="" width="732" height="485" srcset="https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/mapuche-people-732.jpg 732w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/mapuche-people-732-453x300.jpg 453w" sizes="(max-width: 732px) 100vw, 732px" /></p>
<h3><strong>Nahuel Huapi National Park</strong></h3>
<p>The oldest national park in Argentina, established in 1934, it’s also one of the largest in the region, encompassing several ecozones in the foothills of the Andes and Nahuel Huapi Lake. The altitude of the park rises up to 3,574 metres (11,726 feet) and spans nearly 2 million acres of land. From white-topped peaks that feature year-round snow, this is the perfect place to explore the lakes, rivers, waterfalls, glaciers and deep forests of the Andes; on its western side, the Chilean border trims it.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-40213 aligncenter" src="https://www.butterfield.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Nahuel-Huapi-lake-and-park-732px.jpg" alt="" width="732" height="490" srcset="https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Nahuel-Huapi-lake-and-park-732px.jpg 732w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Nahuel-Huapi-lake-and-park-732px-448x300.jpg 448w" sizes="(max-width: 732px) 100vw, 732px" /></p>
<h3><strong>Nahuel Huapi Lake</strong></h3>
<p>Located in the lake region of northern Patagonia and within the Nahuel Huapi National Park, this vast glacial lake takes its name from the Mapuche language, meaning “Island of the Jaguar”. A Jesuit mission was established here from 1670-1673, and another one in 1703, destroyed in 1717 due to a local dispute. There are seven branches in this lake, along with two islands: Isla Victoria and Isla Huemul. The lake is stocked with non-native fish (rainbow, brown and brook trout) ideal for recreational fishing, along with other outdoor activities like kayaking. According to legend, there is a giant cryptid living in the lake, called ‘Nahuelito’, and its sightings reportedly predate Nessie. In nearby Chile, the Puyehue-Cordón volcano complex (of four volcanoes) erupted in the year 2011, blanketing the lake’s surface in volcanic ash for a brief time.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-40207 aligncenter" src="https://www.butterfield.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Bariloche-lake-960px.jpg" alt="" width="960" height="504" srcset="https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Bariloche-lake-960px.jpg 960w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Bariloche-lake-960px-480x252.jpg 480w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Bariloche-lake-960px-768x403.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" /></p>
<h3><strong>Yerba Mate and tea culture in Argentina</strong></h3>
<p><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-40210 alignright" src="https://www.butterfield.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/yerba-mate-250px.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="376" srcset="https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/yerba-mate-250px.jpg 250w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/yerba-mate-250px-199x300.jpg 199w" sizes="(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px" />The national drink of Argentina, the highly caffeinated herbal tea, <em>yerba mate</em>, is derived from the ground leaves of the plant <em>ilex paraguariensis</em>, actually a member of the holly family. Rich in caffeine as well as antioxidants, cholesterol-lowering properties and the vitamins B1, B2 and C, it is considered a healthy drink with medicinal properties by indigenous South Americans.</p>
<p>First cultivated and consumed by the indigenous Guarani people in Southern Brazil, the drink spread with European colonization, with Jesuits first successfully cultivating it commercially (although they tried to ban it in Argentina at first). Traditionally served loose-leaf in a hollow gourd and drunk through a perforated metal straw called a <em>bombilla</em>, the serving style is to pass the gourd to each person, drinking it communally; it is refilled continuously and shared. Being highly caffeinated, it is often drunk as a morning beverage. You’ll also find a variation of yerba mate called <em>mate cocido</em>, which is brewed from a tea bag and served with milk and sugar.</p>
<p>In Buenos Aires and in the Welsh regions of Patagonia, a fascinating mash-up of British and Argentine tea culture has sprung up with tea sandwiches and a late afternoon ritual, following the British tradition.</p>
<h2><strong>Where to Stay</strong></h2>
<h3><a href="http://llaollao.com/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Llao Llao Resort, Bariloche</strong></a></h3>
<p>The most exclusive resort in Argentine Patagonia, Llao Llao boasts breathtaking views of the surrounding lakes, forests, and the soaring Andes mountains. A magnificent indoor and outdoor pool, 18 holes of golf, and an amazing spa are just some of the amenities on offer at this grand hideaway.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-40215 aligncenter" src="https://www.butterfield.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Llao-Llao-hotel.jpg" alt="" width="960" height="638" srcset="https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Llao-Llao-hotel.jpg 960w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Llao-Llao-hotel-451x300.jpg 451w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Llao-Llao-hotel-768x510.jpg 768w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Llao-Llao-hotel-903x600.jpg 903w" sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" /></p>
<h3><a href="http://lasbalsas.com/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Las Balsas Hotel</strong></a></h3>
<p>The prestige of this Relais &amp; Chateaux property set amidst the breathtaking Patagonian landscape is an opportunity to encounter Argentina at its natural best. Las Balsas is a haven for those who seek the serenity of wide open spaces, whether finding refuge in the hotel’s spa or pursuing a more active agenda in the surrounding countryside.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-40216 aligncenter" src="https://www.butterfield.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Las-Balsas.jpg" alt="" width="960" height="480" srcset="https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Las-Balsas.jpg 960w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Las-Balsas-480x240.jpg 480w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Las-Balsas-768x384.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" /></p>
<h3><strong><a href="https://www.andbeyond.com/our-lodges/south-america/chile/lake-district/andbeyond-vira-vira/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hotel Vira Vira</a> </strong></h3>
<p>Set in a marvellous park and surrounded by stunning volcanoes, Vira Vira sits proudly on the shores of the peaceful Liucura River. Its gourmet restaurant uses wonderfully fresh produce from the property’s farm to design the daily menu. The cozy ﬁreplace is the perfect spot to curl up with a glass of Chilean Carmenère in the evenings.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-40217 aligncenter" src="https://www.butterfield.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Vira-Vira.jpg" alt="" width="960" height="679" srcset="https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Vira-Vira.jpg 960w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Vira-Vira-424x300.jpg 424w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Vira-Vira-768x543.jpg 768w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Vira-Vira-848x600.jpg 848w" sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" /></p>


Lakes & Volcanoes: A New Way to See The Andes

<h2><a href="http://www.banrepcultural.org/museo-del-oro"><strong>Museo del Oro (</strong><b>Gold Museum)</b></a><b></b></h2>
<p><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-34572 alignleft" src="http://www.butterfield.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/museo-oro-350c.png" alt="" width="350" height="288" />This popular museum in the La Candelaria area displays a selection of pre-Hispanic gold work—the biggest collection in the world—in its exhibition rooms on the second and third floors. This precious metal, sacred to the indigenous cultures of the land, along with pottery, stone, shell, wood and textile artifacts, fills the museum. Together, these items highlight the artistry and the beliefs of the indigenous people who inhabited what is now known as Colombia, before the Spanish set foot on its shores.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2><b><a href="http://www.banrepcultural.org/museo-botero">Museo Botero</a></b></h2>
<p><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-34571 alignright" src="http://www.butterfield.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Botero-250c.png" alt="" width="250" height="283" />The Botero Museum, also located in the La Candelaria neighbourhood, houses one of Latin America&#8217;s most important international art collections. It sees 500,000 visitors annually and around 1,000 daily. It is named after one of Colombia’s most famous artists, Fernando Botero, and features many of his works, but you’ll also find pieces from Dalí, Degas, and even Picasso.</p>
<h2><a href="http://www.museonacional.gov.co/Paginas/default.aspx"><b>Museo Nacional</b></a></h2>
<p>The National Museum of Colombia, the biggest and oldest museum in the country, houses a collection of over 20,000 pieces of work on its history, art, and culture. Built in 1823, the building was initially known as the Panóptico and served as a prison until 1946. In 1948, the building was adapted for the National Museum and restored in 1975.</p>
<h2><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-34580 aligncenter" src="http://www.butterfield.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/museonacional-960c.png" alt="" width="960" height="640" srcset="https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/museonacional-960c.png 960w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/museonacional-960c-450x300.png 450w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/museonacional-960c-768x512.png 768w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/museonacional-960c-900x600.png 900w" sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" /></h2>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2><b>Iglesia Museo de Santa Clara</b><b></b></h2>
<p>The Iglesia Museo de Santa Clara is one of Bogotá&#8217;s most richly decorated churches, featuring a barrel vault coated in golden floral motifs and walls entirely covered by 148 frescoes and sculptures of saints—the work of nuns once cloistered here. There is a small fee, which deters some visitors, but it’s worth the admission.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-34573 aligncenter" src="http://www.butterfield.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/museosantaclara-960c.png" alt="" width="960" height="366" srcset="https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/museosantaclara-960c.png 960w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/museosantaclara-960c-480x183.png 480w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/museosantaclara-960c-768x293.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" /></p>
<h2><b>Ciclovía on Sunday in Bogota</b></h2>
<p><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-34582 alignright" src="http://www.butterfield.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/ciclovia-350-bogotac.png" alt="" width="350" height="205" />Don’t miss this incredible Sunday phenomenon! Spanish for “bike path,” Bogota’s Ciclovía takes place on Sunday and boasts more than 120 kilometres of highways, byways, and thoroughfares shut down to vehicular passage and open to people. From 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. you can join Colombians as they bike, walk and rollerblade (you get the picture) around the city.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>


Essentials &amp; Advice

Need to Know

<h4>A People Divided</h4>
<figure id="attachment_32084" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32084" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-32084" src="http://www.butterfield.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/In-Deep-Colombia-zipa.png" alt="Sagipa, the last southern Muisca ruler" width="300" height="297" srcset="https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/In-Deep-Colombia-zipa.png 352w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/In-Deep-Colombia-zipa-303x300.png 303w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/In-Deep-Colombia-zipa-150x150.png 150w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-32084" class="wp-caption-text">Sagipa, the last southern Muisca ruler</figcaption></figure>
<p>After Cartagena, the journey inward officially commenced.</p>
<p>Numerous expeditions delivered the Spaniards deep into the interior onto Muisca territory where two clans existed (and were divided), a situation that the Spaniards were happy to exploit to their benefit.</p>
<p>The southern clan was ruled by the Zipa from Bacatá (now Bogotá), and the northern fraction under the Zaque in Hunza (present-day Tunja).</p>
<h4>An Outpost for King Carlos</h4>
<figure id="attachment_32086" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32086" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-32086" src="http://www.butterfield.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/In-Deep-Colombia-Carlos-V.jpg" alt="in-deep-colombia-carlos-v" width="300" height="360" srcset="https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/In-Deep-Colombia-Carlos-V.jpg 350w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/In-Deep-Colombia-Carlos-V-250x300.jpg 250w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-32086" class="wp-caption-text">King Carlos V of Spain</figcaption></figure>
<p>Suffice to say, the Spaniards were able to defeat the locals by taking advantage of their infighting and in 1538 Santa Fe de Bogotá was founded on the site of Bacatá. Following this, much more of the colony was conquered and by 1550 Carlos V, king of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor, had established a court of justice in Bogotá.</p>
<p>As the colony developed under Spanish rule, the usual changes were made. Spanish invaders began to bring in slaves from Africa to serve as the workforce, setting up Cartagena as the exclusive slave-trading port.</p>
<p>Thus the local population, originally consisting mainly of indigenous communities (and the Spanish invaders) began to diversify and mix, creating a new and emerging demographic, and, yet, power only existed for the Spaniards.</p>
<h4>Independence</h4>
<figure id="attachment_32030" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32030" style="width: 237px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-32030 size-medium" src="http://www.butterfield.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Simon-bolivar-237x300.jpg" alt="simon-bolivar" width="237" height="300" srcset="https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Simon-bolivar-237x300.jpg 237w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Simon-bolivar.jpg 435w" sizes="(max-width: 237px) 100vw, 237px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-32030" class="wp-caption-text">Simón Bolívar</figcaption></figure>
<p>Independence from Spain wasn’t a quick win (is it ever?).</p>
<p>Prefaced and created by the colonial situation, inhabitants became extremely unhappy and by 1781 were making that known. Slavery, unfair taxes and duties prompted rebellion and brought about the rise of Simón Bolívar, who by 1812 had became the face (and hero!) of the Independence struggle.</p>
<p>After some failures and then numerous victories, Bolivar was finally able to claim victory for Colombia when it won independence on August 7, 1819.</p>
<h4>Medellín</h4>
<p>Medellín, unfortunately, has been on the map for many years not because of its beauty but because of Pablo Escobar, a notorious drug-lord, and the ensuing drug trade that operated out of the city.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Since his demise in the mid-1990s, the Medellín cartel has disbanded and the city has rebounded tremendously, becoming a popular destination for travellers. As any conversation with a Colombian will make clear, Colombia is more than the drug trade that plagued the country for many years. The persisting narrative of Colombia as a haven for cocaine has been exhausting on the psyche of everyday inhabitants.</p>
<h4>A Nobel-Winning Peace</h4>
<p><img loading="lazy" class="alignright wp-image-32037" src="http://www.butterfield.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/medellin-752x500-451x300.jpg" alt="medellin-752x500" width="350" height="233" srcset="https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/medellin-752x500-451x300.jpg 451w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/medellin-752x500.jpg 752w" sizes="(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px" />While civil war and drug violence have been prominent in the country’s past, great effort has been focused toward remedying that. President Juan Manuel Santos was<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/07/colombias-president-juan-manuel-santos-wins-nobel-peace-prize-fo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> recently awarded the Nobel Peace Prize </a>for his efforts to pardon all FARC members, re-introduce them into society and end the country&#8217;s civil war.</p>
<p>On a smaller scale, Sergio Fajardo was responsible for initiating a series of architecturally beautiful <em>parques bibliotecas</em> and sports centres in the most destitute neighbourhoods in Medellín in an effort to bring about a sense of optimism and civic prosperity to the over-looked.</p>
<h4>Gabriel García Márquez</h4>
<p><img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-32039 alignright" src="http://www.butterfield.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/one-hundred-years-of-solitude-by-gabriel-garcia-marquez-profile-199x300.jpg" alt="one-hundred-years-of-solitude-by-gabriel-garcia-marquez-profile" width="199" height="300" srcset="https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/one-hundred-years-of-solitude-by-gabriel-garcia-marquez-profile-199x300.jpg 199w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/one-hundred-years-of-solitude-by-gabriel-garcia-marquez-profile.jpg 298w" sizes="(max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px" />No introduction to Colombia would be complete without invoking the memory and writing of Gabriel García.</p>
<p>This is a man who was described by a past president as “the greatest Colombian who ever lived.”</p>
<p>Starting as a journalist, Márquez is best known for his novels <em>One Hundred Years of Solitude</em> and <em>Love in the Time of Cholera</em>. Both works are emblematic of the writing style magical realism, which places magical events in everyday existence, and (unsurprisingly, if you’ve read them) both works have earned him worldwide audiences.</p>
<p>He won a Nobel Prize in 1982. <em>One Hundred Years of Solitude</em> is set in the fictional village called Macondo, but is likely inspired by his birthplace, Aracataca.</p>
<p>Beloved by Colombians, Márquez has been an outspoken critic of Colombia and of foreign politics, while also committing to paper the strength, resilience and beauty of his country before his death in 2014.</p>
<h4></h4>


In Deep: <br>A (Brief) Introduction to the Prized Peace and Pristine Landscapes of Colombia

Accolades

Media Mentions

Worth Magazine

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Forbes

Bogota's Cool Quotient 

Colombia: An Explorer's Paradise

Trip Tales

<p>&nbsp;</p>
<figure id="attachment_17902" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-17902" style="width: 320px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-17902" src="http://www.butterfield.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Casa-San-Agustin_sized-320x212.jpg" alt="Casa San Agustin pampered at the same time. " width="320" height="212" srcset="https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Casa-San-Agustin_sized-320x212.jpg 320w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Casa-San-Agustin_sized-124x82.jpg 124w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Casa-San-Agustin_sized.jpg 640w" sizes="(max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-17902" class="wp-caption-text">Casa San Agustin made me feel local and pampered at the same time.</figcaption></figure>
<p>And in a country that is on the go and growing with hotels, Cartagena, for a city its size, has a drastically large variety to choose from when it comes to world-class service and style. My favourite was the <a title="Casa San Agustin " href="http://www.hotelcasasanagustin.com" target="_blank">Casa San Agustin</a> on Calle de la Universidad. Small, tasteful, hip and private, it made me feel like a local and like I was being doted on at the same time.</p>
<p>After Cartagena we flew back to Bogota for a long weekend before heading home and were able to digest all that we had seen. It was a country of variety: multiple mountains, oceans, and jungles, Caribe, Inca and Spanish. In just a couple of weeks you can feel like you have seen three different and distinct countries.</p>
<p>As cheesy as it sounds, there is a magic in the air—the same one Gabriel Garcia Marquez describes in his stories. And as much as I may hate to admit it, Colombia’s new motto, “Magical Realism,” actually fits the bill quite nicely.</p>


<span>Colombia:</span> An Explorer's Paradise (Part II) 

<figure id="attachment_17895" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-17895" style="width: 320px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-17895" src="http://www.butterfield.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Manizales-320x320.jpg" alt="The plants and animals were downright Seussian, the verdant valleys greener than green eggs... well, you see where I'm going here. " width="320" height="320" srcset="https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Manizales-320x320.jpg 320w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Manizales.jpg 640w" sizes="(max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-17895" class="wp-caption-text">The plants and animals were downright Seussian, the verdant valleys greener than green eggs and&#8230; well, you see where I&#8217;m going here.</figcaption></figure>
<p>After landing in Manizales, we spent a week exploring the region, from hiking in the Cocora Valley to visiting more than 20 hotels. Friends and family always laugh at me when I say I have to fly somewhere for work, and they think it is a vacation. But hiking, biking and meeting hotel representatives for 10 hours a day does wear you down a bit&#8230;**</p>
<p>We drove from north to south through the coffee region and it was fantastic. Great biking roads, plants and animals (like the wax palm) that look like something out of Dr. Seuss, and great little B&amp;Bs to stay in. It is a lush valley, one of those places that, when you arrive, you say to yourself “I see! <em>That</em>’s why people live here!” Life abounds and its lushness makes for great travel and exploring. Water falls, canyons, mountains and jungles—oh my!</p>
<p>In talking with a friend of mine who had lived down there for a few years, I was told about a nearby tribe of people, <a title="The Nukak People " href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nukak_people" target="_blank">the Nukak</a>, who had never seen Europeans in their history and remained an “uncontacted people” until 1981. They had seen planes, but thought they were other animals travelling on invisible roads in the sky. They came out of the jungle having no concept of property or privacy, and have had an interesting time merging with the modern world.</p>
<p>This is the kind of place Colombia is—this mix of modern hubs like Bogota and tribes that have never seen concrete, mere miles away from each other.</p>
<p><a title="Colombia: An Explorer's Paradise Part II" href="http://www.butterfield.com/blog/2014/04/15/colombia-explorers-paradise-ii/" target="_blank"><strong>After exploring the coffee region, it was off Cartagena to see the Caribe side of Colombia.</strong></a></p>
<p>** Ok, now that I see it in writing, it doesn’t sound that tough. I have an awesome job.</p>


<span>Colombia:</span> An Explorer's Paradise (Part I) 

Columnists

Experts + Insiders

<p>But as history unfolded, this didn&#8217;t prove to be so. <a title="Francisco Pizarro " href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Pizarro" target="_blank">Pizarro </a>and the boys stopped in on their way to Peru in search of glory and gold, the coca crop business brought a lot of pain and suffering to the country, and miles of jungle made the land hard to inhabit. So, when I landed in Bogota on a recent research trip, I expected an ancient world.</p>
<figure id="attachment_17887" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-17887" style="width: 320px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-17887" src="http://www.butterfield.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Bogota2-320x213.jpg" alt="Colombia" width="320" height="213" srcset="https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Bogota2-320x213.jpg 320w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Bogota2-124x82.jpg 124w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Bogota2.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-17887" class="wp-caption-text">In Bogota I found a city electric and alive.</figcaption></figure>
<p>What I found was a country emergent, with brand new buildings and bike lanes in Bogota, a restaurant scene that rivals some of my favourite New York City neighbourhoods and hotels that blew me away.</p>
<p>There are a few places in Bogota that tip their hats to the old world, but on the whole, the place is buzzing with modernity.</p>
<p>Outside of the city, a tough domestic policy on the cocaine trade over the past few years has cracked down on cartels who were once more powerful than small European countries, making it much easier (and of course, safer) to move from region to region.</p>
<p>And since the Spanish only made it to Cartagena, Bogota and a few other locales,  the majority of the places I went on my recent trip had not been peopled for a couple of hundred years—making for some truly exceptional exploring!</p>
<p><a title="Colombia: An Explorer's Paradise Part I" href="http://www.butterfield.com/blog/2014/04/15/colombia-explorers-paradise-i/" target="_blank"><strong>Click here to read Tyler&#8217;s travel diary chronicling his trip.</strong></a></p>
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<span>Colombia:</span><br>Undiscovered <br>and Emergent

Places on the Verge

<span>Places on the Verge:</span><br> An Evolution and Education

Must Sees

See + Do

Cities

Cusco

In Deep

Peru

<h4>&#8220;Magnificent, but Unforgivable&#8221;</h4>
<p>In the 1920s it was the Andean capital for arts and culture, with bob-top haircuts and jazz music, tennis clubs, and pisco sours served on verandas throughout the town; its unique blend of European and Andean cultures found a home in the valley. You can still see remnants of this mix in paintings of the Last Supper hung high in the cathedrals, which feature images of the apostles dining on <em>cuy</em> or Guinea pig, a local delicacy.</p>
<p>Today’s Cuzco is thus a fascinating blend of two opposing forces. Christopher Isherwood described it best in his 1948 book <em>The Condor and the Cow</em>, “What remains with you is the sense of a great outrage, magnificent but unforgivable. The Spaniards tore down the Inca temples and grafted splendid churches and mansions onto their foundations. This is one of the most beautiful monuments to bigotry and sheer stupid brutality in the whole world.”</p>
<h4>Sacsayhuaman</h4>
<p><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-25509" src="http://stag.butterfield.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Sacsayhuaman-new-blog.jpg" alt="Sacsayhuaman-new-blog" width="960" height="600" srcset="https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Sacsayhuaman-new-blog.jpg 960w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Sacsayhuaman-new-blog-250x156.jpg 250w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Sacsayhuaman-new-blog-480x300.jpg 480w" sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" /></p>
<p>Like most Incan sites, Sacsayhuaman (pronounced, I swear, &#8220;saxy woman&#8221;) remains something of a mystery to archaeologists. Though the Spanish referred to it as a fortress—and it was in fact used as a fortress when Manco Inca tried to win back the freedom of his people—recent research indicates that it may have been a temple in earlier times. Whatever its function, it certainly must have communicated the power and grandiosity of the Incan people to all its visitors.</p>
<p>Even today, one cannot help but feel awestruck by the precision with which the enormous stones were fit together along its zigzagging walls.</p>


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