Who knew that it was Colombia where the first human inhabitants of South America arrived over 20,000 years ago? Visiting Precolumbian archaeological sites is certainly one of the best things to do in Colombia, but the list goes on and on…
#7 Visit archaeological sites
Colombia is the only overland passage to South America and it is believed to be the route taken by the first humans to inhabitant the continent. For over 20,000 years small, spread out tribes have occupied the land that is now Colombia, and due to the countries impenetrable rainforests and unpredictable terrain, many archeological sites and artifacts that they left behind remained a secret until recent years. The 3 main archaeological sites in Colombia that have been discovered are:
- San Augustin: A lush valley filled with dozens of archaeological sites and hundreds of burial chambers, ritual edifices, petroglyphs and incredible stone statues carved by a pre-incan civilization that do this day archeologists know very little about.
- Tierradentro: Over 40 pre-columbine excavated burial tombs, with stone spiral staircases decorated with geometrical patterns and up to 8 meters deep.
- The Lost City: These Machu Pichu like ruins remained an indigenous secret until 1972, when they were stumbled upon by treasure hunters deep in the jungle off Colombia´s gorgeous Caribbean coast. The Lost City, or Ciudad Perdida, has since become one of Colombia´s top travel destinations.
The best goldwork in South America came from these ancient civilizations, and many of the masterpieces can be found today in museums such as the Bogotá gold museum, a visit to which is definately one of the best things to do in Colombia.
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