Wow, Popayán is such a special place! It’s where history, culture, and nature come together in an almost magical way.

This city is called the White City because of all the lime that covers its colonial facades. Walking through its historic center is like traveling back in time. You see cobblestone streets, intricately carved wooden balconies, and patios filled with the scent of bougainvillea.

You can feel it in the incense of Holy Week and the ringing of the church bells, or in the delicious crunch of a freshly fried pipián empanada. It’s a full experience of memory, flavor, and resilience.

On March 31, 1983, at 8:12 a.m., Popayán experienced a brutal awakening. It was Holy Thursday, and a 5.6 magnitude earthquake shook the city just as everyone was preparing for the processions. Can you imagine that moment? The impact was devastating: more than 4,900 buildings collapsed and 13,000 homes were severely damaged. The emergency was total, with broken water pipes leaving people without supply for days.

But Popayán didn’t stay on the ground. Out of that destruction, something crucial was born: Colombia’s first mandatory earthquake resistant construction regulations. They didn’t just rebuild, they rebuilt better and safer. What’s most admirable is how the city rose without losing its essence. Today, it still preserves its colonial architecture and that unmistakable luminous whiteness. It’s a symbol of memory and the power to rise again.

Walking through its streets is like witnessing a silent lesson in resilience and beauty.

What other city do you know that turned a disaster into a law to protect its people?

Think about this: something that has more than four centuries of history. The processions of the White City are incredible, they’re not just a tradition. In fact, UNESCO named them Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. They’re truly a world treasure.

Every Holy Week, the city transforms completely. Over five nights, imagine seeing 68 “steps”  intricately carved scenes with art from Quito and Spain winding through 22 blocks of the historic center, telling the story of Jesus’ passion.

The carriers move in total silence, and the only sound is the slow rhythm of the bells. The air is filled with the dense scent of incense and wax, wrapping around you completely.

Meanwhile, hundreds of worshippers walk holding lit candles. A warm light floods everything, a mix of devotion, art, and memory.

This is no ordinary mountain. Puracé rises just 27 kilometers away, and its name in Quechua means “Mountain of Fire.” It stands like a natural guardian of the entire Cauca region. Puracé is part of the Los Coconucos volcanic chain, a group of fifteen powerful volcanoes.

The most fascinating part? Some of Colombia’s most important rivers, the Magdalena, Cauca, Patía, and Caquetá  spring from its slopes. Can you imagine that? This volcano is literally giving life to half the country with its sulfurous waters.

Around Puracé, there are about thirty tranquil lagoons, reflecting the sky and mist, creating an atmosphere that feels almost sacred. Here, fire, water, and life exist in a balance that seems from another world.

Have you ever heard of another volcano that gives birth to so many essential rivers for a country?

This is a truly university town. History isn’t confined to books here, it’s lived in the colonial streets. Young people fill the patios of Universidad del Cauca with life, blending the old with the new. Education is the city’s heartbeat: it keeps cafés, bookstores, conversations, and dreams alive.

But it’s not all historic center. Outside it, the land has its own school. On the hills and valleys, farmers give life to the countryside. They grow coffee, sugarcane, corn, and Andean fruits, maintaining the rural rhythm so essential to Cauca.

Popayán is exactly that: a city that thrives by cultivating both knowledge and the land.