The Tierradentro Archaeological Park exhibits funerary complexes known as hypogea, these impressive constructions are underground tombs with chambers specially decorated with red, white and black paintings in varied motifs that range from geometric figures to human representations in carving.
This archaeological zone has great links with the archaeological vestiges of the Alto Magdalena including the archaeological areas of San Agustín and Isnos in Huila.
The hypogea in Tierradentro demonstrate not only the constructive skills that the people who settled in this region had, but also the importance given to death and the symbolism associated with it. The impressive carvings of the hypogea and statues skillfully carved on the volcanic rock, tell us about the forms of burial and the symbolic representations of the people who built them, in the period between 600 and 900 AD.
How to get to Tierradentro Park, Cauca?
The archaeological park Tierradentro is located in the department of Cauca, in the village of San Andrés de Pisimbalá in the municipality of Inzá. To arrive from Bogotá you must take a bus that takes you directly to La Plata, Huila, or you can take one to Neiva and then another to La Plata. Once you are in La Plata you can take a van to Inzá, remember that the park is before you get to the town of Inzá. The trip from Bogotá takes approximately 10 hours.
Geography and Climate in Tierradentro, Cauca
As Tierradentro is also known the geographical area that includes the municipalities of Inzá and Paez, this is a mountainous and volcanic area located north of the Colombian Massif. The climate of Inzá is fresh, the annual average temperature is 18° C. To go to the park it is recommended to take sunscreen and comfortable clothes. To go all over the park it is recommended to go at least two days (you only have to pay the entrance fee once).
Alto del Duende
Attractions of the Tierradentro Archaeological Park
As we had already mentioned, the biggest attraction of the park are the hypogea, impressive underground tombs. To enter the hypogeums there are some stairs that go down to the chambers where there are cave paintings and carvings. Besides the hypogea, the park has an archaeological museum, an ethnographic museum and statues. The park has the following areas open to the public.
Archaeological and Ethnographic Museum: located in the park’s administrative headquarters, it has pieces found in the tombs and traditional elements of the Nasa culture.
Alto de Segovia: the most attractive monumental site in the park and the one with the easiest access. It has 25 hypogea open to the public, among which are the largest and best preserved complexes.
Alto del Duende: has 5 hypogea, the depth of the hypogea vary from 1.40 to 5.80 meters, all adorned with paintings.
San Andrés: located 1,500 meters north of the administrative headquarters, it has seven open hypogea (between 2.70 and 5.30 meters deep), all decorated with paintings and geometric motifs and central columns.
Alto del Aguacate: located on a ridge of difficult access that separates the courses of the San Andrés stream and the Ullucos river, from the ridge you can see an impressive view of the region. It contains 42 open tombs, however along the narrow ridge 64 tombs have been detected, identified as the most recent.
El Tablón: It is an hour and a half walk from the administrative headquarters, on a natural terrace north of the San Andrés ravine. In the Tablón, 9 monolithic statues of anthropomorphic figures are exhibited. There are statues up to 2 meters high carefully carved.
El Hato: statues, mounds and petroglyphs have been found at this site dating from 125 to 260 AD. It is located near the Marne ravine and concentrates the largest quantity and variety of statuary found in Tierradentro.
What to do in Tierradentro Archaeological Park?
The archaeological park Tierradentro has several places to visit very distant from each other, to visit the whole park you need at least two days.
For the first day we recommend the following route: First go to the administrative office to buy the ticket that will serve you to visit once each of the places in the park. Then the first place to visit would be the Museum, after that you can follow the path that will take you to Alto de Segovia and Alto del Duende, at the end of the path you will find an open road, take the road to the left and walk for about 25 minutes until you find the path that will take you to the Board. After visiting the monuments you can stay in San Andrés de Pisimbalá where you will find food and lodging for the night.
Stairs to go down to the hypogeum
On the second day, already with ticket in hand, which you bought the day before, you can start by the path to the monuments of San Andrés, then the same path will take you to the Alto del Aguacate. After enjoying the view and the hypogeums of Alto del Aguacate, take the trail to the administrative headquarters, there you will be able to go to the herd through the main road that leads to the urban area of Inzá. The trip from the administrative headquarters to the Hato can take 15 minutes by car and one hour on foot.
For the two-day tours, we recommend that you bring hydration, food and sunscreen. The tours can take between 5 and 7 hours, depending on the pace of each person. Remember that the schedule to enter the monuments is from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Gastronomy in Tierradentro
The typical dishes of this eastern part of the Cauca are strongly influenced by the Paez culture. Most of their dishes are made with corn and the most important ones are mote, wrapped in corn, chaguasga, corn bread and orange jam. You can enjoy these typical dishes in the town of San Andrés de Pisimbala, the closest indigenous town and reserve to the Tierradentro archaeological park.
Where to stay in Tierradentro?
Near the Tierradentro park is San Andrés de Pisimbalá, a Naza indigenous reserve, where you can find several hotels, hostels and camping areas, with wi-fi, swimming pool, television, among other services.
Hotel Albergue el Refugio: it has a swimming pool, a camping site, a restaurant and a parking lot. The rooms have television, private bathroom and hot water. Telephone: 3218112395
Hotel Ricabet: located in the park El Escaño, it has comfortable rooms, hot water and a TV room. Phone: 3105175377- 3127954636.
Costs
Children under 12 years, adults over 60 years free.
Students with a valid student card: 10,000 colombian pesos
Groups made up of 10 or more people: 15,000 colombian pesos
Adults (general admission): 25,000 colombian pesos
