The Rock of ( es, El Peñón de Guatapé) ( Tahamí: Mojarrá) is a

landmark A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances. In modern use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures or f ...

inselberg in

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

. It is located in the town and municipality of

Guatapé Guatapé is a town and municipality in the Department of Antioquia, Colombia. It is a part of the subregion of Eastern Antioquia and is located from Medellín, the capital of the department. Guatapé is bordered on the north by Alejandría, San ...

Antioquia Antioquia is the Spanish form of Antioch. Antioquia may also refer to: * Antioquia Department, Colombia * Antioquia State, Colombia (defunct) * Antioquia District, Peru * Antioquia Railway The Antioquia Railway ( es, Ferrocarril de Antioquia) i ...

. It is also known as The Stone of , or simply or (), as the town of , which borders , has also historically claimed the rock as their own and thus has led to different names for the site. The landform is a granitic rock remnant that has resisted weathering and erosion, likely as result of being less fractured than the surrounding

bedrock In geology, bedrock is solid Rock (geology), rock that lies under loose material (regolith) within the crust (geology), crust of Earth or another terrestrial planet. Definition Bedrock is the solid rock that underlies looser surface mater ...

. The Peñón de Guatapé is an outcrop of the

Antioquia Batholith The Antioquia Batholith ( es, Batolito Antioqueño, Ksta, Kqd, K2ba) is a cluster of plutons located in and named after Antioquia, Colombia. The plutons stretch over an area of about , and intruded and cooled in Late Cretaceous times. Much of the ...

and towers up to 200 meters (656 feet) above its base. Visitors can scale the rock via a staircase with 708 steps built into one side. There is an entrance fee of 20,000 Colombian pesos in order to climb to the top of the rock. Near the base of the Rock, there are food and market stalls for shopping. The entire area where the rock is located contains many photo opportunities for visitors. Colorful murals of the rock painted by local artists decorate the insides of the restaurants and stores. A VIP area includes signs where tourists can take pictures with the name of the town and La Piedra behind it. A bronze statue of Luis Eduardo Villegas López sits at the bottom of the rock. The statue was made by sculptor Mario Hernández C. to honor López as the first to climb to the top of the rock. The sculpture was installed on February 25, 2008. About halfway up the stairs, there is a shrine to the Virgin Mary. The summit contains a three-story viewpoint tower, a convenience store, and a seating area. The top of the rock is surrounded by a railing that contains zocalos. Right outside of La Piedra visitors can book helicopter tours that will fly around the rock.

History

According to geologists, the rock is approximately 65 million years old. The indigenous Tahamí, former inhabitants of this region, worshiped the rock and called it in their language ''mojarrá'' or ''mujará'' (meaning 'rock' or 'stone'). The rock was first officially climbed in July 16, 1954, when Luis Eduardo Villegas López, Pedro Nel Ramírez, and Ramón Díaz climbed the rock in a five-day endeavor, using sticks that were fixed against the rock's wall.Álvaro Idarraga (2006). "El Zócalo", Guatapé: Museo Histórico de Guatapé. López purchased the rock from local farmers that viewed the land as useless for farming. He built stairs into a crack of the rock and began to charge people to climb the steps. He is known as the owner of La Piedra and the Villegas family continues to earn money because of his actions. A new species of plant, named ''

Pitcairnia heterophylla ''Pitcairnia heterophylla'' is a plant species in the genus ''Pitcairnia''. This species is native to northern South America (Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela), Central America, and central and southern Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), ...

'' by a German scientist, was found on the top of the rock. A viewing spot was built on top of the rock, where it is possible to acquire handicrafts, postcards, and other local goods. There are vendors that sell fresh fruit and beverages. It is possible to see the 500 km shore-perimeter dam. There are 708 steps to the uppermost step atop the building at the summit, a fact reinforced by blue numbers also seen in the climb up the stairs. In the 1940s, the Colombian government declared it a

National Monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a spec ...

.Guatapé's Major Office

Graffiti

On the western face of the stone there are painted large white letters "G" and an incomplete "U" (only the single vertical stroke was completed, resembling an "I"). The towns of

and El Peñol had long disputed ownership of the rock, and the residents of Guatapé decided to settle the matter by painting the town's name on the rock in huge white letters. It did not take long for the residents of El Peñol to notice the work, and a large mob was assembled to stop it, leaving behind the unfinished graffiti. La Piedra Mural

The entrance to La Plazoleta features a mural of La Piedra floating and a spaceman with the words, "¡Nos están dejando!". Locals once believed that the rock came from aliens.

Properties

The rock rises from the bottom of the hydroelectric dam of Peñon de Guatapé. This monolith was spotted as a border landmark between country farms and the two cities. At its highest part, on the rear (southeast side), it has an elevation of above sea level, with an average temperature of . The "Peñol" is long and wide. It has some breaks, one of which was used to construct the 740 steps of the stairway to the summit. The Stone of Peñol is composed of quartz, feldspar and granite.

Gallery

File:Peñón de Guatapé 01.jpg, View of Peñón de Guatapé from the road File:Peñón de Guatapé 02.jpg, Peñón de Guatapé rising from the countryside File:El Peñón de Guatapé from a highway bridge.jpg, View of El Peñón de Guatapé from highway bridge File:Piedra_y_Embalse_del_Pe%C3%B1ol_desde_dron_05.jpg, Aerial view

References

External links