Music-Art When you visit it, you will be immersed in a world full of history, tradition, art, and gastronomy where incredible stories and experiences are revealed.
San Cristóbal offers unique places that surprise due to the charm of its popular, environmental, and gastronomic culture. As an important fact you should know that this is where the first artisan and industrial settlements of the capital arose such as: tile factories, bricks, and the craft of glass, among others. In addition, this locality is the epicenter of a unique devotion to the miraculous Divino Niño de Jesús (Holy Child), where you will learn about the history and religious tradition surrounding this popular spiritual icon.
Below, I share some experiences of 4 places in San Cristóbal that you should visit.
Traditional flavors and aromas
To get into this locality I started a route from the emblematic Plaza de Mercado 20 de Julio, a traditional market area that captivates with its color and aroma of fresh fruit, vegetables, and greens.
In the marketplace I found the popular fruit shops and I had the opportunity to taste the best fruit salad prepared in Bogota (in my opinion). Luz Dary Mora is a fruit salad vendor and revealed to me one of the secrets to prepare this succulent delicacy: the special thing is the great variety of exotic fruits “they are very well known because they have: kiwi, carambolo, grape, strawberry, papaya, melon, mango, banana and peach, milk cream, cheese and ice cream portions, besides other local ingredients” assures Luz Dary.
There you will also find very popular establishments selling meat, dishes such as shrimp ceviche, natural juices and a popular drink called “barroquillo” (it is said to be an aphrodisiac). The Plaza de Mercado 20 de Julio also offers a variety of restaurants, handicrafts and even a curious esoteric market that offers candles, oils, creams, cleansing baths, among other products (perfect, they say, to attract success, love, abundance, and prosperity).
Devotion to the Divino Niño Jesús (Holy Child)
My route continues and, upon reaching the exit of the marketplace, I manage to spot the dome of the Parroquia del Divino Niño Jesús, so I head there (it is less than 3 minutes walking distance).
The church Iglesia del Divino Niño de Jesús is one of the most recognized religious centers in the capital. Sergio Vásquez, historian of the sanctuary, told me that the devotion dates to 1935 and is part of a charitable program called “Pan y Chocolate” led by Salesian Father Juan del Rizzo. This evangelizing project favored children in the area with difficult conditions of access to education, food, and housing.
The program offered a Sunday Eucharist especially for children. Then, the number of devotees, parishioners and people in need began to grow. Thus began the devotion to the Divino Niño Jesús (Holy Child), a devotion that has spread throughout the world and, even today, is maintained thanks to the miracles attributed to the main figure of the sanctuary.
Here are some tips that Father Juan del Rizzo used to recommend to keep in mind when making a petition to the Divino Niño Jesús (Holy Child): for nine Sundays, you should continually attend the Eucharist in the sanctuary and receive communion (at least once); you should offer a pound of chocolate (or equivalent in food) as an offering to the needy; finally, you should visit the colorful streets surrounding the sanctuary and find scapulars, prayer beads and bracelets alluding to the Divino Niño Jesús in stores and stalls.
Glass, imagination, and art
I continue my journey to the Museo del Vidrio (the only one in Colombia and the third in Latin America) that exhibits the art of this craft. This is one of the most amazing community museums I have ever seen; upon visiting it, the place reveals the identity of the inhabitants of this area of Bogota.
The Museo del Vidrio is a space dedicated to the preservation, dissemination and teaching of the art and history of glass in Colombia. There you will have the opportunity to admire collections of glass pieces made by the community such as: glasses, laboratory objects and the best works of the master glassmakers of San Cristóbal. One of the most amazing works is a steed (with the following dimensions: 52 x 53 x 21 cm) made from blown glass technique, the work is called “reto” and was made by the master Carlos Conde.
Sandra Solano, director of the Museo del Vidrio, says that the process for creating the pieces is amazing and one of the most striking techniques is the blowtorch glass (widely used to create animals or unconventional figures in glass). “While a blowtorch starts the fire, the master molds the glass with light and constant movements of his fingers, then the material is stretched to make and achieve the desired shape,” describes Solano.
The museum also has a store where you can purchase accessories made of glass such as earrings, necklaces, piggy banks, glasses, and other decorative items for the home. On the other hand, you can enjoy an educational workshop for the whole family led by teachers in the area who will teach you all about the craft of glass; you will learn the techniques for making bottles and create vitro-mosaics (with small pieces of colored glass).
An experience among clouds
And finally, I arrive at the Parque Ecológico Distrital de Montaña Entrenubes, a perfect place to breathe fresh air and see firsthand the natural beauty it possesses. Entrenubes is part of the hills that derive from the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia and has a natural extension of 626 hectares (something like 876 soccer fields).
There you will be able to walk along its trails for approximately 1 hour until ascending to the Juan Rey viewpoint and enjoy the best view of the capital city (3,105 m.a.s.l.). During the journey you can appreciate the beauty of the high Andean Forest and the cloud forest where plant species such as mosses, ferns and orchids stand out. Also, you can do activities such as bird watching and see species such as: hummingbirds, copetones (the emblematic bird of Bogota), owls and mammals such as weasels and opossums, among others.
As you can see, San Cristóbal is a locality full of history, art, gastronomy, and incomparable natural scenery; surprising stories and unforgettable experiences are revealed in every corner.
Tour Bogota and discover the authenticity that only San Cristóbal has!
