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The unassuming town of Aguadas, one of Colombia’s prestigious Heritage Towns (Pueblos Patrimonio), has contributed a lot to the country’s culture.
Introduction to Aguadas
Sitting high in the mountains in the department of Caldas, Aguadas was founded on July 5, 1808, by José Narciso Estrada. The town is known not only as the sombrero capital of Colombia, but also the home of Colombia’s best pionono pastry, the capital of pasillo music, and last but not least, the city of “brumas” (clouds that frequently engulf the town). If that’s not enough, it’s included in the UNESCO World Heritage listed Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia. That’s quite a lot to live up to.
Getting to Aguadas
Aguadas is off the beaten path in the country’s Coffee Region. Getting there could take a lot of patience traveling down bumpy unpaved roads that can’t be avoided no matter which direction you come from. The nearest major cities with direct bus service are Manizales and Medellín. The bus terminal is just a block downhill from the main square.
From Medellín, the ride takes about four hours. From Manizales, there are two routes. One is via La Pintada and the other is through Salamina. Both take roughly four hours.
Getting Around Aguadas
Most of the attractions in Aguadas are situated within a few blocks of Plaza de Bolívar, making it walkable. There are, however, some steep hills in town. Be very careful if it’s raining. It can get very slippery. I wiped out on a sidewalk even when watching my step.
Traditions in Aguadas
As previously mentioned, Aguadas is known for several local traditions.
Sombrero Aguadeño
The sombrero aguadeño is the typical hat of the Paisa region. It’s not much different from the more famous Panama hat and is made from a palm straw called iraca. Although these hats are sold everywhere in Colombia, the finest come from Aguadas. In any case, a visitor to Aguadas should always come home with an authentic sombrero aguadeño.
Sombreros Pipintá
To buy our authentic hats, the locals recommended Sombreros Pipintá, which are considered the finest in town. They’re all handmade by Jorge Valencia López, a friendly man who creates hats ranging from basic yet durable to the finest quality stitching.
Sombreros Pipintá is located in a house a few blocks from the square. Knock on the door and you’ll be escorted through the house into the small showroom to choose your hat. Prices depend on the quality. It’s important to know that hats sold in stores around town will cost almost double.
Ask Jorge for a tour of his workshop and he’ll happily show you to the back of the house. There you’ll see the molds and presses where he makes the hats and the sewing machines where he puts on the finishing touches.
Pionono
The pionono is a popular pastry all over South America, but in Aguadas you’ll find Colombia’s best. Many street vendors at bus stations and small souvenir shops all over the country will sell piononos. They’re all filled with arequipe and some have raisins or guava or some kind of fruit mixed in. None compare to the quality of the pionono aguadeño. The moist bread is filled with arequipe and has figs and guava mixed in. They’re absolutely delicious.
Piononos are sold all over town but we were sent to Piononos Trukky for what many locals consider the best. They’re boxed nicely and sold in full rolls, half rolls, and individual portions.
Pasillo Music
Pasillo music is also a tradition of Aguadas. The National Festival of Colombian Pasillo (Fiesta Nacional del Pasillo Colombiano) takes place every August in the town attracting people from all over the country. There are parades, parties, concerts, competitions and more. The video below is of the winning vocalist of the 23rd annual festival in 2014.
Plaza de Bolívar in Aguadas
In the heart of the town is the bustling Plaza de Bolívar. It’s surrounded by a few historic buildings filled by businesses, shops, cafés, and restaurants.
Fountain
The fountain in the center of Plaza de Bolívar was brought to Aguadas by Faustino and Nicolás Estrada in 1891. It was manufactured in New York and transported through Colombia by mules and oxen. Once it reached Aguadas, it was assembled and unveiled on August 7 of that year. The fountain is surrounded by eight light posts with embedded lion heads.
Church of the Immaculate Conception
The Church of the Immaculate Conception (Iglesia de la Inmaculada Concepción) is on the northwest side of Plaza de Bolívar. Construction began on December 7, 1858, under Father Domingo Antonio Angarita and it was inaugurated on December 10, 1883. The land on which the church sits was donated by Lucio Estrada, the son of the founder of Aguadas.
The Church of the Immaculate Conception has a three-aisled nave separated by 12 arched columns. The underside of the dome contains figures of the Four Evangelists. On the right aisle near the entrance is a figure of the Fallen and Flagellated Lord. It was donated to the parish in 1877.
Above the entrance is an original Opus 75 tubular organ, built in 1928 by a firm from Bilbao, Spain. It has 1304 wooden and tin flutes and was inaugurated on July 29, 1933.
Cultural Center
Two blocks uphill from Plaza de Bolívar and across the street from the police station is the Francisco Giraldo Cultural Center (Casa de la Cultura Francisco Giraldo). It was founded in July 1969 to honor writer Francisco Giraldo (1884-1926), who was born in Aguadas.
The cultural center contains two museums accessible on a guided tour. Tours leave roughly every hour and admission is free (as of March 2024). Please note that the cultural center is not always open. It took us until our third trip to Aguadas to finally have a chance to visit.
National Museum of Hats
The cultural center’s biggest draw is the National Museum of Hats (Museo Nacional del Sombrero), which pays homage to the different traditional hats worn in Colombia and around the world. There are over 300 different hats on display.
Hats from Around the World
The first two rooms contain hats from other countries. In the first room, the guide explains the origin of hats and their evolution as a form of protection to a symbol of status or authority.
The second room covers hats in popular culture, literature, and art. A handful of interesting hats from around the world are also on display.
Colombian Hats
The next four rooms focus on the traditional hats found in different departments of Colombia. It starts with a map of Colombia and a description of the materials used to make hats in each department. In this room are hats from Antioquia, Quindío, Boyacá, Santander, Cundinamarca, Caldas, and Cauca.
The following room displays hats from Valle del Cauca, La Guajira, Chocó, Huila, Córdoba, and Tolima. Some examples from the Caribbean region include the sombrero vueltiao from Córdoba, which is the most representative hat of Colombia on an international level, and the colorful sombrero wayuu, worn by the indigenous Wayúu people in La Guajira. Another interesting hat is the tall sombrero tolimense.
The final two rooms in the National Museum of Hats focuses on the sombrero aguadeño, which is from Aguadas. One room contains the largest sombrero aguadeño in the world. It was handmade by Alba Cecilia Arcila
Garcia and has a diameter of 40 centimeters. The other room contains examples of different styles and qualities of the sombrero aguadeño and the tools used to make them.
Museum of Aguadas Traditions
The other museum at the cultural center is the Museum of Aguadas Traditions (Museo de Tradiciones Aguadeñas). It consists of five rooms, starting with the Antiques Exhibit (Sala de Antigüedades) displaying objects from different periods.
The Eugenio Lotero Hall (Sala Eugenio Lotero) contains wood carvings of important figures from Aguadas and Colombia as well as photographs of historic buildings and doors in the town.
The Historic Documents Exhibit (Sala de Documentos Antiguos) features “articles, decrees, minutes, and manuscripts of significant historical value for the people of Aguadas”.
The Indigenous Exhibit (Sala Indígena) displays artifacts related to the indigenous tribes of the region, including tools, weapons, and skulls.
The fifth and final room in the Museum of Aguadas Traditions is La Fonda de Manuela. It’s a recreation of an inn owned by a woman named Manuela, who’s believed to be the town’s first settler. She was originally from Sonsón.
Architecture in Aguadas
The rest of the town is fairly sleepy but wandering around might be rewarding for lovers of colonial architecture. I’ll leave you with a few photos of some buildings and other interesting shots I took around town.
Pueblito Viejo
On the southern end of town is Pueblito Viejo, a small replica village of what Aguadas used to look like. You’ll find small homes and offices filled with antique furniture, tools, and items along with a café. It’s a bit out of the way but a nice place to visit.
Where to Stay in Aguadas
We’ve stayed overnight in Aguadas a couple times at the same hotel.
Hotel Sueño Dorado
We stayed at the Hotel Sueño Dorado. It’s a decent hotel with clean rooms and lukewarm water but not so good WiFi. There are two locations. The main location is a half block from Plaza de Bolívar. The other location is another two blocks down a steep hill in an unmarked building. There are no differences in the rooms in either location.
Where to Eat in Aguadas
Options are limited on where to eat in Aguadas.
Piononos Trukky
Let’s start with dessert! As I mentioned earlier, Aguadas is known for making the best piononos in Colombia, and Piononos Trukky is preferred by locals. They have a store and café at the corner of Calle 8 and Carrera 6, just a block downhill from Plaza de Bolívar. Pop in to grab a slice of pionono with a good cup of coffee or take a full roll to go!
Milagros
We ate twice at Milagros, a fun restaurant with lots of choices and good food. It’s just off Plaza de Bolívar. They have steaks, sandwiches, salads, fast food, arepas, patacones, and more.
Venecia
Venecia is on the corner of Plaza de Bolívar to the left of the church. They offer traditional Colombian dishes at fair prices. Sit outside on the balcony to take advantage of the views. We shared a bandeja paisa. It was good other than the ground beef, which was like eating sand.
Café del Parque
If you’re looking for a good cup of coffee, head to Café del Parque. It’s right on Plaza de Bolívar. They also have a food menu and some desserts.
Restaurante María C.
We had a quick lunch at Restaurante María C. The service was friendly and food was reasonably priced, but we weren’t too impressed with the quality.
