Colombia: Zipaquira Salt Cathedral
The Salt Cathedral was another one of those bucket list items for me – the most visited attraction in Colombia and often voted one of the wonders of the world in the entire South America (kind of like the statue of Christ in Rio). The massive underground catholic cathedral is built within the tunnels of the Zipaquira salt mines, over 600 feet beneath the surface. First, you have to endure the 14 stations of the cross (the stops along the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem where Jesus was walked to crucifixion). The 14 stations here are dark underground chapels, each with a massive cross carved out of salt and kneeling stands in front – the crosses are carved out differently (slightly) to represent what each station meant – Jesus falling, Jesus being attached to the cross and so on – the all kind of look the same but an audio guide you are wearing goes on and on explaining the hidden meaning carved out of salt. By the end of all the stations you can’t wait for this torture to be over. Next is the dome with three naves, depicting the death and rebirth of Jesus, all with salt-carved out figures, salt reliefs on the walls, and even salt chandeliers (In the nativity scene, the baby Jesus boasts a perfect six-pack abs – also carved out of salt). Finally the main dome has a giant cross seemingly suspended in mid air and the salt-carved replica from the Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam – except the hands of Adam and God are not equal sized and god’s hand is like 4x bigger. It probably takes a good 2-3 hours to see the entire underground cathedral, and but the end you are left wondering whether this a a magnificent religious object or a kitschy gimmick cashing in on the religiousness of the population (a lot of souvenirs for sale in the underground).
