La Candelaria is the 17th locality of

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish Imperial period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city, capital and largest city ...

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 a historic neighborhood located in the city's downtown area, similar to the ''Old City'' in other cities. The architecture in La Candelaria features

Spanish Colonial The Spanish Colonial Revival architecture (), often known simply as Spanish Revival, is a term used to encompass a number of revivalist architectural styles based in both Spanish colonial architecture and Spanish architecture in general. These ...

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

, and

art deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

styles. The locality is home to several universities, libraries, and museums. La Candelaria encompasses the neighborhoods of La Catedral, La Concordia, Las Aguas, Centro Administrativo, Egipto, Belén, San Francisco Rural, Nueva Santa Fe and Santa Bárbara. The area was the site of the Bogotá's founding on August 6, 1538, and it includes the historic center of Bogotá. Today, it serves as an important tourist, educational, and commercial hub.

History

Teusaquillo (now known as Chorro de Quevedo) was a resting place for the

Muisca The Muisca (also called the Chibcha) are indigenous peoples in Colombia and were a Pre-Columbian culture of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense that formed the Muisca Confederation before the Spanish colonization of the Americas. The Muisca spe ...

ruler, the

Zipa When the Spain, Spanish arrived in the central Colombian highlands, the region was organized into the Muisca Confederation, which had two rulers; the ''Zipa'' was the ruler of the southern part and based in Funza, Muyquytá. The ''Zaque'' was the ...

. It is believed that

Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada y Rivera, also spelled as Ximénez and De Quezada, (; 1509 – 16 February 1579) was a Spanish explorer and conquistador in northern South America, territories currently known as Colombia. He explored the territory n ...

founded what would become Bogotá, on August 6, 1538, at this location. The town was named after the colonial Church of Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria. In April 1539, the formal foundation was established in the current Plaza de Bolívar. The original city layout included the Plaza Mayor and the site of the Parish of San Pedro, which later became the Metropolitan Basilica Cathedral of Bogotá and Primate of Colombia. Iglesia de San Francisco 1

The city expanded to the north ( Plaza de las Hierbas), south (Las Cruces) and west (

San Victorino San Victorino is a neighbourhood (''barrio'') of Bogotá, 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 Colom ...

), with the Plaza Mayor and the Cathedral remaining the traditional center and seat of colonial and later republican powers. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the city was divided into four parishes: San Pedro, Nuestra Señora de las Nieves, San Victorino and Santa Bárbara. The Parish of San Pedro included the area of the current locality of La Candelaria, which was composed of the neighborhoods of el Príncipe, San Jorge, El Palacio and La Catedral. When the Special District of Bogotá was created in 1955, there was no significant distinction between the central area of Bogotá and the historic center. In the 1970s, the La Candelaria corporation was established to preserve the historical heritage of the neighborhoods of La Catedral, La Concordia and La Candelaria. Through Agreement 7 of December 4, 1974, the Council of Bogotá established the Minor Mayor's Office of La Candelaria. This led to its recognition in 1991 as one of the 20 localities of the Capital District of Bogotá, with the first Local Administrative Board (JAL) elected.

Attractions

In La Candelaria is the site of the formal foundation of the city, the Plaza Mayor known today as Plaza de Bolívar. Around it are the

Capitolio Nacional The National Capitol of Colombia (), often simply referred to as ''Capitolio Nacional'' ''(National Capitol)'', is a building on Bolivar Square in central Bogotá, the construction of which began in 1848 and was finished in 1926. It houses both ...

(seat of the

Congress of Colombia The Congress of the Republic of Colombia () is the name given to Colombia's bicameral national legislature. The Congress of Colombia consists of the 108-seat Senate, and the 188-seat Chamber of Representatives, Members of both houses are e ...

), the Palace of Justice (seat of the Supreme Court of Justice), the

Palacio Liévano The Palacio Liévano or Lievano Palace is a building located on the west side of the Plaza de Bolivar in Bogotá, Colombia in the cultural and historical hub of the city. The palace is located in La Candelaria, Bogotá, La Candelaria district. Al ...

(seat of the Mayor's Office of

), the

Primatial Cathedral of Bogotá The Metropolitan and Primate Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception and Saint Peter of Bogotá or better known as the Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica of Bogotá and Primate of Colombia, officially ''Sacred Holy Temple Metropolitan Cathe ...

, the Chapel del Sagrario and the Archbishop's Palace (seat of the Archbishop "Cardinal seat"). In addition to the Capitolio and the Palace of Justice, other important seats of national power located in the place are the

Casa de Nariño The Casa de Nariño (), literally the House of Nariño, is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of Colombia. It houses the main office of the executive branch and is located in the capital city of Bogotá, Colombia. It w ...

(seat of the Presidency of the Republic and presidential residence), and the Palacio de San Carlos (seat of the Chancellery or Ministry of International Relations). Among the museums, the Museums and Collections of the Bank of the Republic ( Mint House, Museo Botero and Art Museum of the Bank of the Republic), Casa del Florero, the Museum of Colonial Art, the Archaeological Museum House of the Marquis of San Jorge, the

Military Museum A military museum or war museum is an institution dedicated to the preservation and education of the significance of wars, conflicts, and military actions. These museums serve as repositories of artifacts (not least weapons), documents, photographs ...

, the Regional Costume Museum ( Manuelita Sáenz's house), the Museo de Bogotá, the National Police Museum. Among the cultural centers are the

Luis Ángel Arango Library Luis Ángel Arango Library (Biblioteca Luis Ángel Arango or BLAA) is a public library located in Bogotá, Colombia. It is one of the largest and most important libraries in the world. It was founded in 1958 as a small library with a few books o ...

, which in addition to having reading rooms, offers daily conferences that cover all sciences, as well as being the site of important art exhibitions. There is also the Gabriel García Márquez Cultural Center, the

Gilberto Alzate Avendaño Foundation Gilberto is the Iberian and Italian version of the originally Norman-French given name '' Gilbert'', used in Italian, Portuguese and Spanish languages. In Galician, it's spelled Xilberto or Xilberte. ''Gilbert'' is ultimately derived from the Ge ...

and the birthplace of Rafael Pombo. Among its churches, parishes, rectories and sanctuaries, it is worth mentioning the

, the Chapel del Sagrario, the Santa Clara Church Museum, the National Sanctuary of Nuestra Señora del Carmen, the San Ignacio Church, the Church of San Agustín, the Ermita del San Miguel del Príncipe, the Parish of Nuestra Señora de Belén, the Church of Nuestra Señora de Las Aguas, the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria and the Church of Santa Bárbara. Several universities have their headquarters in this town, among which Los Andes, La Salle, Del Rosario, la Gran Colombia, Externado, Free University, the Autonomous,

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

the Central ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

, National Unified Corporation for Higher Education,

Jorge Tadeo Lozano University Jorge Tadeo Lozano University is a private university whose main campus is located in Bogotá, Colombia, with satellite campuses in Cartagena, Santa Marta and Chía. Established in 1954, the institution was named after the botanist, scientist a ...

Francisco José de Caldas District University The Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas () is a public university, public, coeducational, research university based in Bogotá, Colombia. It is the second most important public higher education institution in the city, after the Nati ...

and the

Colegio Mayor de San Bartolomé is a Private school, private Catholic school, Catholic pre-school, primary, secondary school, and college-preparatory school, colonial of Plateresque style building, located in the Bogota, Santa Fe district of Bogotá, Cundinamarca Department, Cu ...

stand out. Other sites of interest include: * Calle del Embudo - The narrow, cobblestoned street gets its name from its shape. Embudo translates to "funnel" in English; the street is shaped like a funnel. It is one of the most colourful streets in the historic La Candelaria district and leads to the Plaza del Chorro de Quevedo. Many walls on Calle del Embudo are painted with street art or graffiti, in the bright colours of Colombia. Some of them depict legends from the pre-Columbian era. * Plaza del Chorro de Quevedo - It is believed that the Spanish

conquistador Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (; ; ) were Spanish Empire, Spanish and Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colonizers who explored, traded with and colonized parts of the Americas, Africa, Oceania and Asia during the Age of Discovery. Sailing ...

established the capital city of Bogotá on this square on August 6, 1538. The square takes its name from an Augustinian priest,

Friar A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders in the Catholic Church. There are also friars outside of the Catholic Church, such as within the Anglican Communion. The term, first used in the 12th or 13th century, distinguishes the mendi ...

Quevedo, who in 1832 purchased the site and set up the public water fountain in the centre. Its water supply was cut off when a nearby building collapsed in 1896. It is also believed that it was from this site that the ''

zipa When the Spain, Spanish arrived in the central Colombian highlands, the region was organized into the Muisca Confederation, which had two rulers; the ''Zipa'' was the ruler of the southern part and based in Funza, Muyquytá. The ''Zaque'' was the ...

'', the main ''cacique'' of the

, viewed the

Bogotá savanna The Bogotá savanna is a savanna#Savanna ecoregions, montane savanna, located in the southwestern part of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense in the center of Colombia. The Bogotá savanna has an extent of and an average altitude of . The savanna is si ...

. Today, with all the buildings that surround the square, no such view is available. Bog La Candelaria

* Botero Museum, located on Carrera 11, contains works by painter/sculptor

Fernando Botero Fernando Botero Angulo (19 April 1932 – 15 September 2023) was a Colombian figurative artist and sculptor. His signature style, also known as "Boterismo", depicts people and figures in large, exaggerated volume, which can represent political ...

as well as works by artists including

Monet Oscar-Claude Monet (, ; ; 14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French painter and founder of Impressionism painting who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. During his ...

and

Picasso Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, Ceramic art, ceramicist, and Scenic ...

from Botero's private collection. *

Luis Angel Arango Library Luis is a given name. It is the Spanish form of the originally Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese and Galician, in Aragonese and Catalan, while is archaic ...

is the most important library of Colombia, property of the

Republic Bank Republic Bank Limited is a Caribbean financial institution headquartered in Trinidad and Tobago. It has operations in Anguilla, Barbados, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Dominica, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Saint Kitts and Nevis, St. ...

; has more than 1.1 million books and is the most visited public library in Latin America, has facilities of parking, cafeteria, museums, concert hall, and exposition areas. you need coins to leave your bag in the checkroom. * Gold Museum is one of the most important museums of

, It has a collection of more than 36,000 pieces in gold, wood, shell and stone organized in its three floors; the museum is property of the Republic Bank and is located in front of Santander Park. * Colón Theater is one of the most representative theatres of Colombia, with a neoclassic architecture, was built by the Italian architect Pietro Cantini, founded in 1892; has more than for 900 people. *

Monserrate Monserrate (named after Catalan language, Catalan homonym mountain ''Montserrat (mountain), Montserrat'') is a mountain over high that overlooks the city center of Bogotá, the capital city of Colombia. It rises to above the sea level, where th ...

is the symbol by excellence of the Colombian capital. The hill is a pilgrim destination, as well as a tourist attraction. In addition to the church, there is a restaurant. Monserrate can be accessed by aerial tramway, a funicular or by climbing, the preferred way of pilgrims. You can see it from nearly every point in Bogota.
La Puerta Falsa
is a 200-year-old shop specializing in chocolate and tamales. It is located right next to the presidential palace. * Silva Poetry House * Bogotá Urban Development Museum * Military Museum * Rafael Pombo Poetry House * Avianca Building * ''Camarín del Carmen'' theater * Quevedo brook plaza (Plaza del ''Chorro de Quevedo'') * Bolívar Square

Churches

* Primada Cathedral * Church of San Francisco * San Agustín Church * Del Carmen Church

Universities

* University of the Andes * Our Lady of the Rosary University *

La Salle University La Salle University () is a private university, private, Catholic university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The university was founded in 1863 by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and named for St. Jean-Bapt ...

Universidad Externado de Colombia The Universidad Externado de Colombia (Externado University of Colombia) is a private university in Bogotá, Colombia. It has produced graduates including lawyers, academics, judges, financiers, journalists, as well as senior government officials a ...

La Gran Colombia University La Gran Colombia University is a private university located in Bogotá, D.C., Colombia. It was founded on May 24, 1951, by Julio César García Valencia, recognized Colombian historian of the Twentieth century. Faculties * Accountancy * Archite ...

* Unified National Corporation of Higher Education (CUN)

Climate

References

External links

*
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La Candelaria videos and Information
{{Authority control Landmarks in Colombia Localities of Bogotá Tourist attractions in Bogotá