La Candelaria, living history

In the neighborhood “La Candelaria” in Bogotá, among colonial façades, the graffitis and
murals have become a new tourist attraction.

With the growth of street art in the city's downtown,“Bogotá Graffiti Tour” was born –
more than seven years ago – by the initiative of Christian Petersen, an Australian based in
Colombia with the objective of creating a worldwide audience, so the tourists can get to
know more about Colombian culture through street art and the stories behind it.

After a previous registration in the web page: www.bogotagraffiti.com, tourists can enjoy a
two hours and a half tour sharing with groups of about ten to twenty persons from different
places of the world. The tours are done everyday of the week in two time frames: 10 a.m
and 2 p.m; Jahir Dimaté, cultural manager, stands accompanied by two guides waiting for
attendees an hour before, right in front the monument “Simón Bolívar” in the “Parque de
los Periodistas”. The tour can be done whether by foot or on bicycle.

Despite the graffitis and murals being the main reason of the tour, during the walk, the
attendees can also get in touch with the narrative behind the city’s graffiti movement, the
history of the “Chorro de Quevedo” and “La Candelaria”, and also some social problems
like the “false positives” and the war the country has been through for more than 50 years,
that in many cases are represented in the street art at the colonial house's façades.

For Dimaté, to follow with these activities is important because these murals are part of the
identity of La Candelaria. “Parce, if you look at La Candelaria that's living history, each
mural, each graffiti has a story narrated through the art. The problem is that for the rich
people, the graffiti is nothing but the art of the poor, that's why they don't support it, and
every four months the district repaints the walls white.”

The language in which the tour is done is english because the demand of national tourists is
low. However, a year ago, on the last sunday of every month the tours are done in Spanish,
so “the rolo can get to know a little bit more about his city”, in words of Dimaté.

Join the tour around La Candelaria and learn a bit more about its history, and at the same
time practice your English. The tour doesn't have a cost, there is a voluntary contribution. If
you're scared of being robbed, Dimaté and the whole crew of “Bogotá Graffiti Tour”
guarantee your safety. Plus, the voluntary contribution is going to be invested in the making
and fixing of the murals, like “El Muro del Zipa” (located in the “Calle del Embudo”)
painted ten years ago as a gift from the street artist Jorge to the city for its bicentenary.
Come and contribute to the culture.