Villa de Leyva, 3 hours from Bogota (Colombia, South America), is perfectly preserved as it was almost 450 years ago … It is one of the most beautiful colonial villages in Colombia. It was founded in 1572 in honor of Andrés Díaz Venero de Leyva, the first president of the New Kingdom of Granada.

Its charming streets are paved in big stones. Among its buildings with white walls, windows and door frames built in colonial style, you can find churches, convents and plazas.

In 1954, Villa de Leyva was declared a national monument and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its Plaza Mayor is one of the largest town squares in the Americas, paved with massive cobblestones; it is surrounded by magnificent colonial structures and a charmingly parish church.

Villa de Leyva is the perfect destination because of the gorgeous scenery, cool sunny weather, wonderful restaurants, hotels and lodges.

And, if you are exploring this area, only 15 miles from Villa de Leyva is the quaint town of Raquira, the pottery capital of Colombia. The main road hosts stunning brightly colored houses and craft shops that sell a multitude of artisanal crafts, including pottery, baskets, ponchos, hammocks, bags, jewelry and much more. You can watch as pottery is being made at many of the local shops.

In fact, Raquira draws from both the indigenous and Spanish traditions that created distinctively different male and female ceramic style.