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After passing through Calarcá several times over the years, we finally decided to visit the center of this small town outside Armenia. Previously, we had only taken tourists to the Quindío Botanical Garden just south of town and drove through on our way to other places.
Introduction to Calarcá
Calarcá was founded on June 29, 1886, by Segundo Henao and Román María Valencia. It’s included in the UNESCO World Heritage listing for the Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia. On the outskirts of town, the aforementioned Quindío Botanical Garden is a major tourist attraction. A bit further away is the Recuca coffee tour.
Plaza de Bolívar
We started our exploration of the town in the main plaza, Plaza de Bolívar, which is a wide-open space where locals congregate under tall trees and palms. In the center you’ll find street vendors selling all kinds of snacks and other goods as well as a small café. There’s also a statue of Simón Bolívar (1783-1830).
The plaza is surrounded by a mixture of colonial-style buildings and modern constructions. The buildings contain restaurants, cafés, banks, shops, and municipal offices.
Church of San José
The most prominent building on the plaza in Calarcá is the Church of San José (Iglesia de San José), which we were unable to enter. It’s not the most attractive building in town. The brick bell tower sits at the rear of the church on the block behind the plaza.
Téllez House
A block from the plaza to the east is the Téllez House (Casa de Las Téllez). Probably the finest architectural specimen in town, it was built in 1926 by Manuel Ignacio Lozano Caldas, who had his dental offices there. Later, it was the home of coffee farmer José María Patiño Sanz. The house is owned by the descendants of Heraclio Téllez, who died in 2013 at the age of 109 and was also a coffee farmer.
El Café de Carlos
The ground floor of the Téllez House is occupied by El Café de Carlos, which serves up some of the finest coffee in town. Their specialty coffee brand is La Elba, and it’s one of the best coffees I’ve had in Colombia. They also have a full menu as well as delicious desserts.
Market Plaza
Finally, two blocks west of Plaza de Bolívar is the Market Plaza (Plaza de Mercado), where locals come to shop for fruits, vegetables, meats, and other goods. It’s also where jeeps line up to take people to rural villages outside Calarcá. Jeep Willys are the traditional transportation method in the Coffee Region of Colombia.
Our Thoughts on Calarcá
Overall, we enjoyed our couple hours in Calarcá. It was a nice surprise and we wondered why we didn’t visit sooner. We’ll definitely be back in the future for another visit to El Café de Carlos, and hope to see the Yipao (Jeep parade) one day.
