Paez and the Archaeological Heritage of Tierradentro

The Tierradentro Archaeological Park is located within the municipality of Paez, near the village of San Andrés de Pisimbalá. Pre-Columbian underground tombs, known as hypogea, and stone statues form the heart of this archaeological landscape. Together, they make Tierradentro a cultural destination that can be explored from several perspectives: its history, the distribution of its sites, and the museum exhibits offer different ways of understanding its archaeological heritage.

History and archaeological forms

The park was established in 1945 and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. These dates mark two distinct milestones: its establishment and its later UNESCO designation. Hypogea are underground tombs, while the stone statues are a visible part of the archaeological sites. This contrast helps show why Tierradentro cannot be reduced to just one form of heritage: tombs and sculptures are equally part of the park. For travelers, this provides a clear thematic framework in which history, underground architecture, and stone figures sit side by side.

Park zones and tombs

The park is spread across five zones: Loma del Aguacate, Alto de San Andrés, Loma de Segovia, Alto del Duende, and El Tablón. The 162 pre-Columbian underground tombs preserved at the site are distributed across four locations: 23 hypogea at Alto de San Andrés, 64 tombs at Alto de Segovia, 13 burials at Alto del Duende, and 62 hypogea at Alto del Aguacate. There, the hypogea are set along a 250-metre-long ridge. The total number and distribution convey the scale of the heritage; the reference to the ridge also gives the distribution a spatial dimension.

Museums and exhibitions

The museums also complement the archaeological perspective in different ways. The Casa Museo y Biblioteca is a 19th-century building that houses the Archaeological Museum and the Ethnographic Museum. The Archaeological Park Museum features an open-air exhibition with 80 hypogea, nine statues, and related archaeological materials. While the Casa Museo y Biblioteca brings two museums together in a historic building, the park’s open-air exhibition presents archaeological materials in a dedicated display. This distinction is useful for getting your bearings: one is a building with two museums, while the other is a park exhibition featuring specifically named objects.

Plan around the opening days

The Archaeological Park is open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on its opening days. Before your visit, check the ICANH website to see whether a closure is scheduled for your chosen date. This will help you plan the cultural part of your trip around the scheduled opening days.

Choose accommodation to suit your travel interests

When looking for a holiday rental in Paez, Tierradentro can provide a clear cultural focus. Consider whether you want to concentrate mainly on the park’s tombs and statues or give equal attention to the museum exhibits. The sites are spread across several named zones, while the open-air exhibition brings its displays together in one place. This distinction can help you set your expectations for the stay and choose the location of a particular accommodation to suit your plans.

Discover more destinations:

Guasimo, Popayán, El Medio, Totoro, Yaquiva, El Jazmin, Santander de Quilichao, Boca Grande

For the main travel overview: Cauca.