The Rock of () ( Tahamí language: ''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-day use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures ...

inselberg An inselberg or monadnock ( ) is an isolated rock hill, knob, ridge, or small mountain that rises abruptly from a gently sloping or virtually level surrounding plain. In Southern Africa, a similar formation of granite is known as a koppie, an ...

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

. It is located in the town and municipality of

Guatapé Guatapé is a town and Municipalities of Colombia, municipality in the Antioquia Department, Department of Antioquia, Colombia. It is a part of the subregion of Eastern Antioquia and is located from Medellín, the capital of the department. Guata ...

Antioquia Antioquia is the Spanish form of Antioch. Antioquia may also refer to: * Antioquia Department Antioquia () is one of the 32 departments of Colombia, located in the central northwestern part of Colombia with a narrow section that borders th ...

. 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 A granitoid is a broad term referring to a diverse group of coarse-grained igneous rocks that are widely distributed across the globe, covering a significant portion of the Earth's exposed surface and constituting a large part of the continental ...

remnant that has resisted

weathering Weathering is the deterioration of rocks, soils and minerals (as well as wood and artificial materials) through contact with water, atmospheric gases, sunlight, and biological organisms. It occurs '' in situ'' (on-site, with little or no move ...

and

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as Surface runoff, water flow or wind) that removes soil, Rock (geology), rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust#Crust, Earth's crust and then sediment transport, tran ...

, likely as result of being less fractured than the surrounding

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

. The Peñón de Guatapé is an outcrop of the Antioquia Batholith 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 (an entrance fee is due). 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 Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

. 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 zócalos. 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 Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology) In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...

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'' 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 sp ...

.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 Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

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 Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The Atom, atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen Tetrahedral molecular geometry, tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tet ...

feldspar Feldspar ( ; sometimes spelled felspar) is a group of rock-forming aluminium tectosilicate minerals, also containing other cations such as sodium, calcium, potassium, or barium. The most common members of the feldspar group are the ''plagiocl ...

and

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

''The Amazing Race''

On March 27, 2024, El Peñón de Guatapé was featured in an episode of the

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...

series ''

The Amazing Race ''The Amazing Race'' is an adventure reality competition franchise in which teams of two people race around the world in competition with other teams. ''The Amazing Race'' is split into legs, with teams tasked to deduce clues, navigate themselv ...

'' which took place in and around the town of Guatapé. Contestants were seen racing up the stairs in order to find a clue that was hidden on top of the rock.

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

Guatapé Official City Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Penon De Guatape, El Sacred rocks Geography of Antioquia Department Inselbergs of South America Rock formations of Colombia Tourist attractions in Antioquia Department Natural monoliths