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The Puente de Occidente is perhaps the most interesting attraction near Santa Fe de Antioquia. It’s a short drive outside the Colombian Heritage Town (Pueblo Patrimonio).
Getting There
The road to the bridge passes through the Llano de Bolívar neighborhood. To get there, you can hire a local tuk-tuk taxi. Your hotel can arrange one for you. The driver will wait for you and take you back into town as well. It costs COP$30,000 round-trip (as of April 2024). After crossing the bridge on foot, there’s a restaurant selling meals, snacks, and drinks to visitors.
History of the Puente de Occidente
This suspension bridge is an architectural masterpiece built by José María Villa (1850-1913), a local engineer who was part of the team that built the Brooklyn Bridge. It’s named after the fact that it sits in the western part of the Antioquia department.
Legend has it that in the mid 1800s, a man sat at the edge of the river with his pregnant wife and said “I wonder if one day someone will be brave enough to build a bridge across this river”. It turns out the couple were Villa’s parents and the baby was Villa.
The bridge was completed in 1895 and was once the 7th longest suspension bridge in the world and the longest in South America. It spans the Cauca River and is 291 meters long.
Crossing the Puente de Occidente
It’s possible to cross the bridge on a small footpath. There’s also one lane for small vehicles to pass in either direction. On my first few visits, cars were allowed to cross, but the bridge has been closed to larger vehicle traffic since 2018. Now, only motorcycles and emergency vehicles can cross.
Monument
At the east end of the bridge, there’s a monument honoring Villa for his great contribution. It connected the once isolated Santa Fe de Antioquia to the rest of the department and made it much easier for goods to reach the town. Before the bridge was built, the only way across was by ferry.
