Cali Activities
Cultural activities flourish around centers like the Instituto Departamental de Arte y Cultura, the Instituto Popular de Cultura, the Teatro Municipal, the Museo de Arte Moderno La Tertulia, the Sala Beethoven, the Escuela Departamental de Teatro, and the Universidad del Valle.
The traditional cuisine of Cali and the department of Valle del Cauca can be easily identified. It is a fusion of the region’s Spanish, Quechua, and African heritage with the culinary secrets of Antioquia. Favorites are the sancocho de gallina (hen stew), arroz atollado (pork sausage, beef ribs, and oxtail in a rice stew), tortilla soup, aborrajado (ripe plantain with melted cheese), toasted green plantain with hogao (a stir-fry of onions and tomatoes), and tamales. Sugarcane plantations inspired a variety of desserts such as cookies, manjar blanco, gelatina de pata (cow’s hoof gelatin with molasses), coconut sweets and champús, a beverage made from corn, the pulp of the lulo fruit, pieces of pineapple, cinnamon, and brown sugar syrup.
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Calima Darién Archaeological Museum: 10,000 Years of History
Astonishment. Perhaps this is the word that best describes what visitors to the Calima Darién Archaeological Museum feel. This small archaeological jewel is located in southwestern Colombia, in the center of the Department of Valle del Cauca. The museum was founded in 1981 and is the only place with scientifically collected pieces that also serves as a research center for archaeologists.
The museum covers an area of 15,000 square meters and houses close to 2,500 pieces from various pre-Hispanic cultures and societies from the Colombian southwest, especially the Calima Darién area, which is especially important due to the number of informal diggers that operate in the area. The Calima Culture
The four societies that occupied the region were, successively, the Ilama, Yocoto, Sonso and Malagana.
The Calima culture is the name given to a series of cultures that inhabited the Department of Valle del Cauca, although never simultaneously. Four societies occupied the region in succession: Ilama, Yotoco, Sonso, and Malagana.
The Ilama and Yotoca cultures shared several features: similar shapes in ceramics and the use of hammering and embossing for their goldwork. However, there are important differences.
Ilama Culture
The ceramics from this period are characterized by the use of two colors: red and black. In the field of cosmological representation, their mythical characters were depicted in ceramics.
Yotoco Culture
The Yotoco potmakers increased the range of colors in ceramics by the use of polychrome paint. Gold objects were much more common than during the Ilama period. No cosmogonical representations have been found in ceramics.
Sonso Culture
The numer of shapes in ceramics was not very numerous during this period; metal objects were also scarce. Goldwork was of a lesser quality compared to previous cultures, due to the fact that it was mixed with copper. There was an abrupt change in techniques: hammering gave way to casting.
Malagana Culture
The Malagana ceramic work is fine and polished. Ocarinas, vessels for collecting and storing liquids, and alcarrazas (globe-shaped pitchers with two spouts and a handle bridge) stand out. White and terracotta predominate.
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The Cali Fair: An Entire City Becomes One Great Party
Place: Cali, Valle del Cauca
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Region: Pacific
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Date: December 25 – 30, every year
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Duration: 6 days.
Every year, immediately after Christmas, between December 25 and 30, the city of Cali fills up with tourists from all over the country and abroad who come to participate in this great fair, famous for its horse riding parades, bullfights, the best salsa orchestras, multitudinous concerts, dances, and delicious gastronomy.
The fair starts out on the streets with a parade of the best Paso Fino horses in the country. It continues with a multitude of popular festivals and parties in various sections of the city.
The Cali Fair is famous for its horseback rides, bullfights, some of the best salsa orchestras, packed concerts, dances, and delicious food.
Cali also stands out as the world salsa capital, with the best national and international orchestras vibrating throughout the city and bringing together different kinds of publics in closed shows with performances by phenomenal prize-winning dancers and in multitudinous concerts staged by the best interpreters of this musical genre.
Each year thousands of caleños and foreigners allow themselves to be driven by gaiety, music, and rumba during the six days of the fair. And the best bullfighters from Spain and South America display their art in the Cañaveralejo bull ring during emotion-filled afternoons.
History of the Fair
The first fair took place in 1957 under the name of Feria de la Caña de Azúcar (sugar cane fair) and began solely as a bull fighting fair. Historians tell us that the first celebration lasted a whole month. At first, festivities took place in hotel salons and clubs, and the music was Antillean.
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Zoológico de Cali (Zoo)
The zoo of Cali is a beautiful natural environment. It offers a unique expirience in terms of contact with nature and, also, culture. Its objective is to promote educational programs with the aim of communicating and researching the Colombian biodiversity.
It contains a great variety of locations to learn about animals and plants. It also presents some game zones. The six specific locations are organised according to a thematic: primates, acuarium, reptiles and anfibious, insects (butterflies), and birds. Every place offers a résumé of the characteristics of these species.
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BUENAVENTURA:
City and port founded July 14, 1540, located on the Málaga Bay. It's a commercial port, mainly for fishing, wood, and commerce. More than 70% of external commerce passes through Buenaventura. Buenaventura, itself, is not a good place to visit, but it is a great base for going to some precious beaches on the Pacific Coast including Juanchaco and Ladrilleros.
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LOS FARALLONES NATIONAL PARK:
20 minutes from Cali on the Western Mountain Range, it's one of the zones with the most biodiversity on the planet. This is the refuge of the Gallito de Roca Bird.
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