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The historic center of Cali, Colombia, can easily be seen in a half day. Most of the sites lie within a fairly straight path and are accessible on foot. You’ll also find a handful of decent museums and some interesting sites outside the historic core. For more info on the city and a couple other attractions, visit my main page for Cali.
Colina de San Antonio
A good place to start is Colina de San Antonio. This park situated on a hill above the historic center of Cali is a popular evening gathering place, especially on weekends. We went on a Friday night and the park was full of people of all ages sitting on the grass. Vendors were selling jewelry, ice cream, snacks, and other goods. There are a few restaurants lining the park as well as a nice view of the city from the top of the hill.
Chapel of San Antonio
At the top of the hill is the Chapel of San Antonio (Capilla de San Antonio). It was built by José de Alegría between 1746 and 1747 on land donated by Juan Francisco Garcés de Aguilar. Its purpose was to give a place of worship to residents around the hill who had difficulty attending services at the Cathedral of St. Peter. The chapel was restored in 1803 and again in 1944.
Municipal Theatre
About a 10 minute walk down Carrera 5 is Teatro Municipal (Municipal Theatre). Construction on the beautiful building began on April 9, 1918, and it opened on November 30, 1927. It’s officially named for Enrique Buenaventura and replaced the Teatro Borrero which had burned down. The Italian-style theatre has a capacity of just over 1,000 and features frescoes on the ceiling painted by Mauricio Ramelli Andreani. The foyer was painted by Efraim Martínez (1898-1956).
Calima Gold Museum
Around the corner is the Calima Gold Museum (Museo del Oro Calima). It’s located in the Banco de la República building. Admission is free (as of April 2025) and it’s open Tuesday through Saturday.
It takes about a half hour to go through the small but informative museum. On display are several artifacts made of gold, ceramics, and a few other interesting things to see.
There’s also a scale model of a Yotoco village and a life-sized model of a Calima man dressed in full garb with golden jewelry. Compared to the other branches of the Gold Museum (Museo del Oro) around the country in Bogotá, Armenia, and Santa Marta, I feel that the one in Cali wasn’t up to par.
Convent of Las Mercedes
A block north is the Convent of La Mercedes (Convento de Las Mercedes), founded by Friar Hernando de Granada. It contains the oldest surviving church in Cali, the Church of La Merced (Iglesia de La Merced), which was built between 1541 and 1544. The convent was occupied by monks until 1813, when it was converted to a barracks for troops under General Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera (1798-1878). It later became the headquarters of Augustinian nuns.
La Merced Archaeological Museum
La Merced Archaeological Museum (Museo Arqueológico La Merced) is housed in the former convent of La Merced. Admission for foreigners is COP$10,000 (as of April 2025) and it’s open daily except Sundays from 9am to 6pm. The permanent collection displays indigenous artifacts from the southwest of Colombia and a mummy. The mummy and explanation of indigenous burials is interesting. During our visit, there was also a temporary exhibition of photos highlighting festivals of Colombia. All information is posted in Spanish but the attendant can give you a pamphlet in English if necessary.
House of Memories of Conflict and Reconciliation
Across the street is the House of Memories of Conflict and Reconciliation (Casa de las Memorias del Conflicto y de la Reconciliación). It opened in 2018 to memorialize victims of armed conflict in Cali and to educated the public for the prevention of future atrocities. It’s open Monday through Friday and admission is free (as of November 2024). It’s housed in the former Religious, Ethnic and Cultural Museum (Museo Religioso, Étnico y Cultural).
Archbishop’s Palace
Across the street to the east of La Merced is the former Archbishop’s Palace (Palacio Arzobispal). It was built at the end of the 18th century and is the only two-story colonial home in the city. Simón Bolívar (1783-1830) stayed there from January 2-22, 1822.
Plazoleta de San Francisco
Plazoleta de San Francisco is a large open plaza a few blocks to the east. It contains the government offices for the department of Valle del Cauca and the Convent of San Francisco (Convento de San Francisco).
Chapel of the Immaculate
One of the most interesting buildings in Cali is the Chapel of the Immaculate (Capilla de la Inmaculada). It was built between 1757 and 1764 with a Mudéjar bell tower standing 23 meters high and other Moorish features. It’s considered the finest example of a Mudéjar tower in Latin America. The interior of the chapel was decorated by Mauricio Ramelli Andreani in 1924.
Church of San Francisco
The chapel is attached to the Church of San Francisco (Iglesia de San Francisco), which was originally built starting in 1751. It was rebuilt between 1803 and 1827 on a design by Father Andrés Marcelino Pérez de Arroyo y Valencia (1764-1833). The church has a central nave with two aisles. The vault, painted by Mauricio Ramelli Andreani, depicts the entire life of St. Francis of Assisi. The Baroque main altar contains 12 statuettes of St. Francis and an image of Christ.
Plaza de Cayzedo
Plaza de Cayzedo, the main plaza in Cali, is two blocks away. It’s one of the most pleasant spaces in the city, featuring tall palms and beautifully manicured grass with a monument in the center. The plaza measures 6,500 square meters and the city developed around it.
During the Spanish colonial period, it was originally called Plaza Mayor and hosted bullfights. It was renamed Plaza de la Constitución in 1813, and received its current name in 1913 in honor of Joaquín de Cayzedo y Cuero (1773-1813), a local Colombian revolutionary hero. The plaza was used as a market square from 1674 to 1897, and it was redeveloped as a park in 1898.
Monument to Joaquín de Cayzedo y Cuero
In the center of the plaza is a monument to Joaquín de Cayzedo y Cuero. It was made by French sculptor Charles Raoul Verlet (1857-1923), who started work in 1912, and it was inaugurated on January 26, 1913. The pedestal was made by Pascual Bergaglio, an Italian living in Cali.
Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle
The Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle (Catedral de San Pedro Apóstol) is on the southwest corner of the plaza. The original church was built shortly after the foundation of the city in 1536. It had a masonry foundation and a straw roof that was eventually covered by tile. The current structure was designed by architect Antonio García in the Baroque style. Father José Rivera laid the first stone on September 1, 1772, and it consecrated in 1825. Construction wasn’t complete until 1841 due to political issues.
The cathedral is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cali. The Neoclassical façade dates to a 1925 renovation and the bell tower was demolished the same year. The church has a central nave with two aisles and features a Walcker Orgelbau organ built in 1925 and installed in 1928. It was transferred to the choir in 1933 by German organist Oskar Binder (1911-1990).
Otero Building
The Otero Building (Edificio Otero) is on the southeast corner. Emiliano Otero purchased the property in 1916 after a trip to Europe and wanted to construct a building resembling those he had seen on his trip. Construction began in 1922 and it was completed in 1926. The architects were Francisco Ospino and Rafael Borrero. The upper floors operated as Hotel Europe while the Gambrinus Restaurant occupied the ground floor.
Bernardo Rivera purchased the building in 1970 and planned to demolish it, but strong opposition by locals and the architecture department of the University of Valle (Universidad del Valle) prevented this. The building was declared a national monument on July 25, 1977. A massacre took place on December 3, 1984, in which 9 people were murdered, and the building was abandoned in 1989. Once again slated for demolition in 2009, citizens rallied to save it, and it was restored and occupied by BBVA.
National Palace
Finally, the National Palace (Palacio Nacional) is on the northeast corner. It was commissioned by Pacific Railway and designed by Belgian architect Joseph Martens and Italian engineer Giovanni Lignarolo. Construction began on February 15, 1928, and was completed in 1933.
The 5-story French Neoclassical building has 2,455 square meters of floor space and a total of 28 offices. It’s currently occupied by the Sectional Council of the Judiciary (Consejo Seccional de la Judicatura), the Administrative Court of Valle del Cauca (Tribunal Administrativo del Valle del Cauca) and the Superior Court of Cali (Tribunal Superior de Cali).
Parque de los Poetas
Continuing north is Parque de los Poetas (Park of the Poets). It was dedicated in 1995 to poets of Valle del Cauca. It features bronze sculptures by José Antonio Moreno depicting Jorge Isaacs (1837-1895), Carlos Villafañe (1881/82-1959), Octavio Gamboa (1923-1992), Ricardo Nieto (1878-1952), and Antonio Llanos (1905-1978). There’s a small fountain in the middle and it’s surrounded by a few interesting buildings.
Teatro Jorge Isaacs
Teatro Jorge Isaacs is on the south side of the park. It was built by architect Hermann S. Bohmer starting in 1930 and opened on December 26, 1931. The French Neoclassical theatre replaced the Teatro Salón Moderno, which stood on the same spot. It’s named for writer Jorge Isaacs and has a capacity of just under 2,000.
Coltabaco Building
The Coltabaco Building (Edificio de Coltabaco), also known as the El Puente Building (Edificio El Puente), is on the west side of the park. It was commissioned by the Colombian Tobacco Company (Compañía Colombiana de Tabaco) and designed by architect Guillermo Garrido. Construction began in 1934 and it was completed in 1936. It was originally three stories high but a fourth story was added in 1950.
Coltabaco used the building as a regional headquarters until 1991 when it was converted to private offices. It was restored between September 2022 and September 30, 2024, and reopened as the headquarters of the Popular Institute of Culture (Instituto Popular de Cultura), complete with classrooms and exhibition space.
The Hermitage Church
The Hermitage Church (Iglesia de la Ermita) is just off the park. It’s the most beautiful church in Cali, built between 1942 and 1948 to replace a 17th century church that was destroyed by an earthquake. The Neo-Gothic structure was inspired by the Ulm Minster in Germany and is dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows (Nuestra Señora de los Dolores).
The church has a central nave with two aisle and is topped by a cross vault. The stained glass windows were made in Amsterdam and depict the 12 Apostles, while the bells were cast in Levallois-Perret in France. The iron doors were made by local art students in 1937.
Parque de La Retreta
A bridge from Parque de los Poetas, Paseo Bolívar, leads over the Río Cali to Parque de La Retreta. This French-style park contains a few monuments as well as a Neoclassical pavilion that stood in the center of Plaza de Cayzedo until 1936. The pleasant park is a great place to try a cholado or lulada.
La Tertulia Museum
La Tertulia Museum (Museo La Tertulia) is a modern art museum west of the city center. It was founded in 1956 by Maritza Uribe de Urdinola and has a collection of about 2,000 works of art. It moved to its current location in 1968 and the auditorium opened in 1975.
Admission is COP$26,000 for adults; COP$12,000 for students with a valid ID, kids age 6-11, and seniors 60+; and free for kids under 6 (as of April 2025). Tickets to the cinema are COP$14,000 for adults and COP$11,000 for students with a valid ID and seniors 60+ (as of April 2025). The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday and the cinema is open Thursday through Sunday.
During my visit, there were some exhibits on interior design and two interactive exhibits. Personally, I enjoyed the architecture of the buildings more than the exhibits.
Caliwood
Not too far away is Caliwood, which was founded in 2008 as Colombia’s first cinematography museum. It’s packed with a collection of projectors, cameras, movie posters, memorabilia and more. Some of the equipment dates back to the very first days of cinema.
General admission to Caliwood is COP$20,000 (as of April 2025). It takes about 90 minutes to go through on an audio-guided tour in English or Spanish. If you’re expecting to learn about specific films or actors, you’ll be disappointed because this museum mostly focuses on the technical aspect of filmmaking.
Before starting your self-guided tour, a docent gives a quick rundown of what you can see in the museum. On the tour itself, you’ll get an in-depth look into the history of projectors on display and other film equipment. You’ll also learn the stories behind several cameras, home projectors, and what’s labeled as the world’s largest camera.
One of the final sections contains movie memorabilia as well as photography equipment and handheld camcorders. The tour ends with a 20-minute film presentation of clips from some silent films and animated films followed by a thorough explanation on how sound is connected to film strips. Before leaving, guests are given a small section of filmstrip.
Movie Posters
One of the interesting features of the museum is the collection of movie posters on the walls. The projector room features posters from many American and European films while the rest of the museum has posters from Colombian films.
A section of the wall is dedicated to antique movie posters from the earliest days of the Colombian film industry. There are also stills from the groundbreaking 1922 Colombian silent movie María. Only 25 seconds of the film have survived.
My Thoughts on Caliwood
All in all, we found our visit to be enjoyable and informative. Caliwood provides an important service to the film industry because other cinema museums focus on the movies themselves rather than the equipment that goes into making or screening them. You’ll come out with a better understanding of the incredible behind-the-scenes work and learn more about what goes on in the projector booth when you settle into your seats with a bucket of popcorn.
Monument to Sebastián de Belalcázar
A monument to Sebastián de Belalcázar (c. 1490-1551), the founder of Cali, is on the hill above the museums. It was made by Spanish sculptor Victorio Macho (1887-1966) and inaugurated on July 25, 1937. The bronze statue depicts the Spanish conquistador pointing west towards the Pacific.
On April 28, 2021, during the 2021 Colombian protests, members of the Guambiano indigenous community knocked the statue off its pedestal, as they consider it a symbol of repression. It was returned on November 4, 2022. In addition to being an important work of art, the statue provides excellent views of Cali.
Relief Murals by Carlos Andrés Gómez
Along the road to Cristo Rey are a few relief murals by artist Carlos Andrés Gómez. He’s been creating these works since 2011. We stopped to see El Lamento de la Pacha Mama (The Lament of Pacha Mama), which is a protest against the damage that humans have caused to the environment. The sculptures are made with clay and cement and extend over 5 kilometers of the road.
Cristo Rey
Cristo Rey is a smaller version of Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer monument towering over the city. It was inaugurated on October 25, 1953, to commemorate the 50 year anniversary of the end of the Thousand Days’ War. Admission is free (as of June 2025) but reservations are required. Access is limited to slots at 9am, noon, and 3pm, and a guided tour is provided.
The statue was commissioned by José María Arteaga, a Jesuit priest. He entrusted the project to artist Gerardo Navia Carvajal, who abandoned the work after building a model. Italian sculptor Alideo Tazzioli Fontanini took over on the condition he could create his own design.
The statue is made of iron and concrete and stands 26 meters high including the 5 meter pedestal. It weighs 464 tons. The views of Cali are spectacular.
Cerro de las Tres Cruces
Cerro de las Tres Cruces, northwest of the city, is named for the three large crosses at the top. Legend has it that a demon named Buziraco arrived in Cali after being expelled from La Popa in Cartagena and put a curse on the city. On May 3, 1837, two friars climbed the hill with crosses made of guadua to exorcise the demon. They continued every May 3 until 1850, when they were expelled from the city for meddling in local politics. Locals picked up the tradition but enthusiasm waned after time.
On June 7, 1925, a powerful earthquake shook the city, knocking down the crosses and several churches. The destruction was attributed to Buziraco. To put an end to the curse, Father Marco Tulio Collazos decided to build permanent crosses made of iron and concrete. In 1937, he hired Argemiro Escobar and Luis Felipe Perea to complete the project. They started on May 26 and finished on January 6, 1938. The central cross is 26 meters high and 11 meters wide while the crosses on the side are 22 meters high and 8 meters wide.
Today, the hill is a popular destination for hikers and anyone looking to get a good workout. A taxi can take you to the path leading to the top. It’s best to go up early in the morning to avoid the heat as much as possible. Also, take plenty of water and some cash. It’s generally safe because there are lots of hikers, but you should always go with a partner or in a group.
