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Buga, one of Colombia’s prestigious Heritage Towns (Pueblos Patrimonio), is not typically on the tourist radar. This small Colombian city of nearly 100,000 attracts over three million Catholic pilgrims a year to the Basilica of the Lord of Miracles (Basílica del Señor de los Milagros), but there are other points of interest to visit besides its beautiful churches.
Parque José María Cabal
The non-religious sites in Buga are fairly close to each other. We started in Parque José María Cabal, the main plaza in town. It has some very tall trees, vendors selling juices and snacks, has a statue of Colombian independence hero José María Cabal (1770-1816) in the center. Apparently there are iguanas that hang out in the trees but we didn’t notice any.
There are a couple of important buildings on the plaza including the Palace of Justice (Palacio de Justicia).
Cabildo
One block to the east of the plaza is the Cabildo, which was built in 1810. It served as a government building during Spanish rule.
Cultural Center
Our next stop was at the very interesting Cultural Center (Casa de la Cultura). The building has a nice courtyard with a fountain in the middle.
We were given a tour of the exhibits currently on display, including Catholic vestments and models of the colorful windows and balconies of different towns in Colombia.
Municipal Theatre
A block away is the Municipal Theatre (Teatro Municipal). It’s a gorgeous building with the faces of Mozart, Beethoven, and Liszt on the building.
Parque de Bolívar
We then walked to Parque de Bolívar, which is on the south side of town. There is a statue of Simón Bolívar on one end and a bridge over the Guadalajara River at the other.
El Faro
Finally, we climbed up a lookout tower called El Faro. It’s a thin tower with a spiral staircase in the center. It costs COP$4,000 to climb up (as of September 2023). Once at the top, there are spectacular views of Buga.
