Saturday, September 9, 2017

A Papal History of Bogotá

The ruins of the Archbishop's Palace in 1948, after the Bogotazo riots.
The Museo de Bogotá, located on Calle 10 between Carreras 3 and 4, has an exposition about the two previous papal visits: Pablo VI in 1968 and John Paul II in 1986. The city carried out some urban projects related to the visits, in particular a neighborhood built for Pablo near Simon Bolivar Park, which still carries his name. These are documented in the exhibit. But the real interest are the historic photos of central Bogotá sites.

Papal paraphenalia. Religious consumerism isn't new.
Plaza Bolivar in 1868.
Another view of Plaza Bolivar in 1868: A cattle pasture?

Plaza Bolivar around 1930.

Pope Pablo VI.


The interior of the Cabildo Eclesiastico.
And, to see Bogotanos' present-day Catholic fervor, take a look at the crowds still lining up in Plaza Bolivar today to see the image of the Virgen of Chiquinquira:

Waiting around. It's a long, long, line.



Pope Francis waves 'hi.'
Religious trinkets haven't gone out of style.


By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

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