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El Cerrito is a town in the Valle del Cauca department of Colombia, about an hour drive from Cali. It’s known for the many colonial haciendas on the outskirts.
Overview of El Cerrito, Valle del Cauca
El Cerrito, which translates to Small Hill, was originally inhabited by the indigenous Pijao people. They were driven out by Spanish conquistador Sebastián de Belalcázar (c. 1490–1551), and the small fort, Forte de María Luisa de la Espada, was later built to protect European settlers from raids. The fort was located near the present-day village of El Castillo
The town was founded on August 30, 1825, by Fr. Manuel José Guzmán, who named it San Jerónimo. On that same date in 1864, the name changed to El Cerrito and it was elevated to a municipality.
Today, the main economic activities are agriculture and livestock, with the main crops being grapes and sugar cane, along with corn, rice, soybeans, beans, and chili peppers. Tourism is important in the rural areas where you’ll find the haciendas.
Hacienda El Paraíso
Hacienda El Paraíso, located about 16 kilometers from El Cerrito, is the setting for one of the most important novels in Latin American history, María. It’s now a Colombian National Monument and museum because of its significance to the novel.
The Connection Between Hacienda El Paraíso and María
This traditional plantation house was owned by George Henry Isaacs, an English Jew originally from Jamaica. He moved his family to Cali in the early 19th century and converted to Christianity in return for a gift from the Spanish crown. Isaacs later bought his Colombian citizenship from Simón Bolívar (1783–1830) by paying for it in cattle. He became one of the wealthiest landowners in Colombia, owning nearly half of what is now Valle del Cauca, and purchased the hacienda in 1854.
George’s son Jorge Isaacs (1837–1895) published María in 1867. The main character was based on his cousin with the same name and contains many autobiographical elements. It’s a story of heartbreak in which a young man, Efraín, falls in love with his first cousin, which is forbidden by their family. Efraín is sent to Bogotá for six years to complete high school, but the young lovers continue their relationship by frequently sending letters. Upon his return from Bogotá, they live together in the family home for three months until Efraín is sent to London to study medicine. While he’s away, María falls gravely ill. Efraín hears the terrible news and begins the three-month journey back to the hacienda, only to return a few days after she dies.
Tours of Hacienda El Paraíso
Visitors can take a guided tour of the house (in Spanish) and learn about its connection to the novel. Admission for foreigners is US$10 while Colombian citizens and residents pay COP$18,000 for adults, COP$10,500 for kids, and COP$9,000 for seniors (as of November 2025). A parking lot is located across the street from the hacienda. The home is open daily from 9:30am to 4:30pm. Check the official website for more information.
After the tour, visitors are given a chance to walk around freely and take pictures. They’re also invited to go behind the house, where a newer building contains a cafeteria and an area where fresh flowers are sold. It’s also worth popping into the village of Santa Elena, where María is buried and there’s a monument to her and Jorge Isaacs.
The Home
Tours start under the large tree in front of the home. As you sit on the gigantic roots protruding from the ground, the guide explains the love story in the novel and the Isaacs family history. A bust of Isaacs and a plaque commemorating the significance of the home is under the tree. In the novel, María would pick fresh roses from the garden in front of the home.
The home was built between 1816 and 1828. It’s surrounded by channels of water that prevent insects and other animals from entering the home while also providing a relaxing ambience with the constant sound of running water. The house is maintained with several original pieces and is decorated as described in the novel. It’s a great look into the life of the wealthy on a mid-19th-century sugarcane plantation.
The Front of the House
The first room on the tour is Efraín’s room, which is located in the front of the house to the left. This is where the guide shows photos of Jorge Isaacs and some interesting features of the COP$50,000 bill that contains elements of the novel. The fresh roses in the vase to the left are placed there every day in remembrance of the flowers María brought to her lover’s room every morning.
At the front of the house to the right is the study. Efraín taught geography and literature to María and her sisters in the room during his short stay at the home.
Next is the living room. A grandfather clock sits in the corner and is stopped at the exact time and day of María’s death. A vessel on a table looks to be made of iron, but it’s actually carved out of a solid piece of wood.
The Patio
From there, the tour continues at the patio where it’s possible to get a quick look at the back garden. A room off the patio served as a chapel where Mass was celebrated three times every Sunday. One service was for the family, a second for relatives, and a third for slaves. The service was performed in Latin.
Bedrooms
The room next to the chapel served as Efraín’s father’s bedroom. It was connected to the room used by María’s younger sisters, Emma and Eloísa, in order to keep an eye on them.
On the other side of the house is the bedroom of Efraín’s mother, which is connected to María’s room.
The Back of the House
A wing in the back of the house contains a room where the women would learn to sing and play instruments among other skills. You’ll also find the dining room is where the family would gather to eat. At the very back is the private study of Efraín’s father.
Kitchen and Slave Quarters
On the side of the house is the kitchen and a washing area where slaves would prepare meals and wash the dishes. They weren’t allowed to sit to wash the dishes because it was considered a sign of laziness, and they would be punished accordingly. A small room next to the kitchen served as the slave quarters. All slaves had to sleep together in the cramped space.
Hotel Piedemonte
The property across the street from Hacienda El Paraíso is Hotel Piedemonte, which has 24 rooms, a restaurant, and entertainment zone. Several tents are set up selling crafts and snacks, there’s a swimming hole with a waterfall, pools, games and entertainment for children, and horseback riding. Check the official website for info on day plans including lunch and use of the pools and facilities.
The restaurant serves traditional Colombian food, specializing in dishes from Valle del Cauca. We tried the fiambre valluno, which is six different kinds of meat cooked along with rice and a potato in a plantain leaf. The food wasn’t that great because some of the meat was cold and the portions weren’t very consistent from person to person. Service was also lacking. There are much better restaurants on the way to the hacienda that are worth stopping at. Skip this one.
A large rock on the property is described in the book as the place where Efraín first professed his love for María. It’s a popular place for couples to sit together. You can also paraglide off the mountain behind the hacienda, or go horseback riding or mountain biking.
Providencia Ecological Park
Providencia Ecological Park (Parque Ecológico Providencia) is another attraction just outside El Cerrito. It features the Sugarcane Museum and Hacienda Piedechinche as well as birdwatching opportunities. It’s open daily except Mondays from 9am to 4pm. Admission for foreigners is COP$30,000 while Colombians and residents pay COP$19,000 (as of April 2025).
Sugarcane Museum
The Sugarcane Museum (Museo de la Caña de Azúcar) tells about sugarcane production throughout Colombia with examples of extraction methods from different regions of the country. Sugarcane is one of the most important agricultural products in Colombia and was introduced to the country from Cuba.
Guides take groups to 21 different points along the perfectly manicured grounds and give short explanations of the sugarcane cultivation in each region represented. The entire tour takes about an hour.
Tours start off with more primitive presses (trapiches) that only extracted 25% of the juice from the sugarcane. As time progressed, so did the machines. By the 17th century, many of the machines were extracting better than 50% and would use animals instead of slave labor.
While the information is interesting and the knowledgable guides are entertaining, the star of the show is the landscape. The grounds are absolutely gorgeous with each tree and plant labeled, making the attraction part museum and part botanical garden.
One of the last stations allows visitors to try guarapo (sugarcane juice) and to chew on freshly cut sugarcane. The guarapo definitely needs lemon (it’s very sweet), while chewing on the sugarcane can be refreshing.
At the very end of the tour, the guide takes visitors to a hydraulic sugarcane press (trapiche hidráulico). It’s the most efficient machine on the tour.
Hacienda Piedechinche
The plantation house, Hacienda Piedechinche, was built around 1715 by José Sebastián Borrero and Josefa Costa. Four generations of their descendants lived there until 1886, when it was purchased by the González family. The Ingenio Providencia company acquired it in 1942. It opened as a museum on June 17, 1981.
The house, named for the nearby indigenous settlement of Chinche, features thick adobe walls, clay tile roofs, and wide corridors typical of the region. On the ground floor, studies used by the men and women of the house.
The dining room and chapel are decorated with original pieces, while upstairs is a bedroom. A carriage house is attached to the house.
