The Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira (or Catedral de Sal Zipaquira in Spanish) is an underground church built within the tunnels of one of the largest salt mines in the world. The salt mine is about 650 feet underground in a mountain near the city of Zipaquira (about 1 hour 20 minutes by car or 2 hours by bus outside Bogota) and has been used to mine salt from 500 BC, first by the Muisca tribe which made them very powerful in the region through Spanish colonization and modern mining methods to helping liberate Colombia and surrounding countries as it was used to fund the revolutionary armies of Simon Bolivar.
The Salt Cathedral is considered one of the most notable Colombian architectural achievements and was declared by the Colombian Congress as Colombia’s 1st Wonder.
As mining is a very dangerous job, the miners carved a chapel out of the rock and salt so they could pray for their safety to our Lady of the Rosary of Guasa, the patron saint of miners. Over the years, this evolved into a number of chapels and eventually a cathedral was built. While the cathedral is a major tourist attraction, it is still a functioning church which receives thousands of worshippers on Sunday so for tourists it is best to avoid going on Sunday.
The entrance fee is about 60,000 COP (US$15) and this includes an electronic audio tour headset. The audio tour comes in a number of languages and I found it very important to understand the rooms and history so remember to ask for this at the ticket booth.
After entering the mine through a long tunnel, there are 14 small chapels known as the “Way of the Cross,” made out of rock salt. These are meant to represent the 14 stations of the cross, or Jesus’s last days from condemnation to resurrection.
There are small altars where people can kneel to pray in each carved chapel.
After the 14 chapels you enter into the Cathedral.
Besides the main nave there are a couple smaller chapels on each side.
On the same level as the Cathedral there is a newer section called Salt Park, with a small museum of mining, a theater with a 20 minute movie about the mines, a cafe and restaurant, a 3D movie theater, and a few stores to buy emeralds, other precious metals and souvenirs.
At the exit at the bottom Cathedral level after the stores, there is a little train which will bring you out through another tunnel and back to the surface near the entrance.
Conclusion
The Salt Cathedral is a beautiful and surreal place which is interesting to explore and learn some of Colombia’s history. It is a top tourist attraction but it is large enough that is doesn’t seem crowded (except on Sundays, best to go on a weekday if you can). It is convenient from Bogota so a a great day trip. Hope you enjoy this and please leave a comment if you can
