Slow Travel Through Colombia’s Heritage Towns: Mompox, Monguí and Villa de Leyva

From Holy Week rituals to colonial plazas and artisan traditions, these three towns reveal Colombia at its most atmospheric, and best experienced slowly. Colombia’s heritage towns or Pueblos Patrimonio, are not places I wanted to rush through. I wanted to walk them, sit with them, and let their details unfold at a gentler pace. Mompox, Monguí, and Villa de Leyva, history is not something preserved in a museum. It lives in the plazas, the churches, the cobblestones, and the daily rhythm of towns that still feel deeply rooted in their past.

What Are Pueblos Patrimonio?

Colombia’s Pueblos Patrimonio (Heritage Towns) are a network of heritage towns recognized for their historical, architectural, and cultural value. There are 17 towns on the list, and together they offer a rich cross-section of the country’s identity, from colonial architecture and religious traditions to artisan crafts. culinary delights, and regional customs.

What I appreciate the most about them is that they open a window into everyday life of Colombian towns in the heart of the country. They are shaped by the people who continue to inhabit them, care for them, and keep their traditions alive. In the plazas, you might find beekeepers selling honey and pollen or artisans selling virgin wool ‘ruanas’ in the local shops.

I was drawn to these towns when my brother suggested a road trip to Boyacá, an adjoining department a few hours from Colombia’s capital – Bogotá. Our three-day road trip took us to numerous towns, including two significant Heritage Towns – Monguí and Villa de Leyva. The last on my list, Mompox, which I visited on my own, felt like the final jewel in the group. I was enchanted by its beauty and its almost magical atmosphere, and I can see why it stands out among Colombia’s Pueblos Patrimonia.

Monguí – A Town of Cobblestones and Footballs

I visited Monguí and Villa de Leyva during Holy Week, when the churches and cathedrals were beautifully decorated with flowers and Pasos – elaborately decorated floats prepared for the processions – were already on display before the solemn religious celebrations later in the week. In a devout Catholic country like Colombia, these rituals still matter deeply, and the church is usually the focal point of the main plaza, giving each town both a spiritual centre and tangible anchor.

Monguí is one of the most memorable because the large plaza was surrounded by many shops selling footballs (soccer balls). Founded in 1601, the town has cobblestone streets, whitewashed buildings and cool mountain air. It is also famous for its handcrafted footballs, made in small family workshops where the skill has been passed down through generations. That tradition gives the town a distinct identity.

So many of these small towns have one craft or one local product that becomes part of who they are. In Boyacá, it is soccer balls for Monguí, ruanas (heavy woolen shawls) for Nobsa, feijoa (an exotic fruit) for Tibasosa, and colourful pottery for Ráquira.

What makes Monguí appealing for the slow traveler is the town’s charming small shops, friendly people and delightful food. It is small enough to walk easily, yet rich enough to reward a second look. During Holy Week, the plaza was busy with mass just letting out, our car was surrounded by a sea of people exiting the church, returning home or to the nearest restaurant for a leisure lunch.

We managed to secure a delightful traditional lunch of picada and refajao. Picada is a platter of traditional grilled meats (pork sausage, blood-pudding, beef bites), potatoes and savoury plantains that you ‘pick at’ (picar). A refajo is a blend of beer and Colombiana (a sweet soda pop similar to cream soda). It is the Colombian version of a shandy (beer and ginger ale). Refreshing and delicious, it begs the questions: who could ask for anything more?

Villa de Leyva – A Colonial Jewel in Boyacá

Villa de Leyva’s greatest visual feature is its immense main plaza, one of the most striking colonial squares in Colombia. Its scale creates a feeling of openness that is both elegant and dramatic, and the town’s architecture adds to the atmosphere with whitewashed walls and red-tiled roofs that are carefully preserved and maintained.

During Holy Week, the decorations in the cathedral were beautiful with an abundance of floral arrangements and large pasos. If you make it to one town in Boyaca, let it be Villa de Leyva. It has a variety of accommodations ranging from luxurious Hotel Casa Alcestre to our modest La Posada de Jose Antonio.

Another reason Villa de Leyva stands out is its role as a gateway to surrounding craft villages, especially Ráquira, known for pottery and clay work. This wider Boyaca corridor is rich with artisanal talent, from woven baskets and hand-painted scarves to leather goods and jewellery for the perfect souvenirs from Colombia..

Those crafts are more than souvenirs. They are evidence of the skill and creativity that continues to thrive in Colombia, and they make the region especially appealing to travelers who appreciate handmade objects and local design.

Villa de Leyva is rich with little boutiques hidden on side streets that lead you back to the main plaza. It is lively at night with bistros, bars and patios full of music and local delicacies. This region is more temperate and has local dishes including a Cocido Boyacense (pork, potato and corn stew), Almojábanas boyacenses (small bread rolls), and Arepa Boyacense (sweet, yellow corn tortilla).

If you are looking for an enriching route around the region, places like Nobsa, Tibososa, Villa de Leyva, Ráquira, and Paipa make it especially appealing for travelers who want to explore the region in depth rather than as a series of disconnected stops. In that context, Monguí, and Villa de Leyva become not just towns to visit but a part of the larger cultural fabric and landscape. An authentic road trip experience through Colombia’s heartland.

Mompox – Magical Realism Comes Alive

Mompox, on the other hand, offers a different kind of atmosphere and experience. Officially Santa Cruz de Mompox, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most poetic colonial towns in Latin America. Its seven churches are close enough to visit on foot, creating a remarkable density of heritage for such a small town.

The colourful facades, quiet streets, and riverside setting give Mompox a stillness that feels almost suspended in time. It is easy to understand why the town is so often linked to magical realism. Gabriel García Márquez (Gabo), feels present in spirit, and Mompox has the aura of a real-life Macondo, (the town on which the novel 100 Years of Solitude is based).

Mompox hosts one of the largest celebrations of Holy Week in all of Colombia with processions and solemn pageantry throughout the week. I visited the week after and the town was recovering from the many visitors it receives each year (definitely something to either attend or avoid – depending on your interest in religious celebrations).

Mompox’s appeal lies partly in its setting beside the mighty Magdalena River, once a vital transport and trade route between the Caribbean coast and the interior. The town also played an important role in Colombia’s independence, and Simon Bolivar is known to have visited and recruited troops there during the struggle against Spain in the early 1800s.

Mompox has a magical quality that is hard to describe without sounding romantic, but that is exactly how it feels. There is something about the river setting, the stillness, the heat and the outstanding colonial architecture (untouched by modern structures) that make it seem almost fictional.

Why These Towns Matter

What ties Mompox, Monguí and Villa de Leyva together is not just heritage, but continuity. These are towns where the church still anchors the plaza, where religious ceremonies still matter, and where craftsmanship still has a place in daily life. They are lived in rather than just preserved, and they show the beauty of small towns in rural Colombia without ever feeling inaccessible to slow travelers.

Colombia’s Pueblos Patrimonios(click on link to see Pueblos on Google Maps) gave me exactly what I hoped for: beauty, history, and a chance to experience a place in depth. That is why this road trip works well for slow travel. You do not need to rush. In fact, you shouldn’t. The pleasure is in walking the streets, noticing the flowers in the church, the street vendors, browsing the traditional shops and watching the light change over the plaza. It means taking the time to speak to artisans and locals who keep these towns authentic.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Have you visited a heritage town? In which country was it? What captured your attention and admiration?