Mariquita: Squares, Botanical History and Waterfalls

Mariquita combines memorial sites in the town center with a history that goes back to the Expedición Botánica, as well as natural attractions in the surrounding area. At the Plaza de Armas, you’ll find an obelisk and a ceiba tree; historic houses and the Catedral Mayor de San Sebastián add further points of interest. If you’d like to include waterfalls, forest, and a lagoon alongside cultural sites, there are various destinations to choose from, each with its own distance.

Squares and Memorial Sites

The Plaza de Armas, also called Plaza Mayor José Celestino Mutis, is home to an obelisk dating from 1815. It commemorates the centenary of the founding of the sovereign and independent State of Mariquita. On the same square stands a ceiba (Pentandra), planted in 1988 in memory of the Armeritas and Mariquiteños who lost their lives in Armero in 1985. The two memorials mark different historical connections at a specific location.

The Catedral Mayor de San Sebastián dates back to the 16th century and is located on the Plaza Mayor de Armas. Several houses also tell the story of the city. The Casa de habitación del Padre José Celestino Mutis is an 18th-century house associated with José Celestino Mutis and the painters of the Expedición Botánica. The first botanical garden was located at the site of the Casa del Primer Jardín Botánico; there, Mutis planted and tended cinnamon tree saplings. This botanical trace adds another kind of discovery to the architectural history.

The Casa de los Virreyes dates back to the 16th century. During the Expedición Botánica, Archbishop and Viceroy Caballero y Góngora, along with other distinguished guests and high-ranking Spanish government officials, stayed there overnight. Together with the sites associated with Mutis and the expedition, these places form a cultural and historical focus that can be explored through specific buildings and squares.

Forest, Waterfalls and Lagoon

Nature lovers can choose from destinations at varying distances and with different landscapes. The Cascadas del río Medina are about 7 km from Mariquita and comprise around 20 waterfalls. The Laguna del Silencio, also known as Laguna de la Serpiente Dorada, is 12 km from the town center; access is via the road to Vereda El Rano.

The Bosque de Mariquita is part of the Reserva Forestal Protectora de las Quebradas El Peñón y San Juan. This reserve is in the Municipio de San Sebastián de Mariquita, in the north of the Departamento del Tolima. It covers 637 hectares and lies at an elevation of 600 to 950 m. This gives the landscape a distinct scale: alongside individual attractions in the surrounding area, there is also a forest area within a larger protected area at the municipal level.

The same municipality is also home to Balneario Cancún, also known as Río Sucio: 2.5 km from the municipal seat, along the road to Victoria (Caldas). Facilities there include a bar, a dance floor, individual charcoal cooking areas, and sports areas for soccer and beach volleyball. Check that it is currently operating before you visit.

Festival and Trip Planning

The Festival Nacional de Música Mangostino de Oro in San Sebastián de Mariquita takes place in August. The program includes musical, academic, craft, and visual arts activities. If you’d like to plan your trip around the festival, check the dates for the relevant edition, as no specific year is given here.

When choosing a holiday rental, let the focus of your trip guide you: if you mainly want to explore squares, the cathedral, and historic houses, focus your search on Mariquita. If you’d like to include waterfalls, the lagoon, or the Balneario, take their distances and road access into account when planning.

Discover more destinations: La Enea, Guadalajara, Espinal, Honda, El Salitre, Alpujarrá, Purificacion, Ibagué

For the broader travel overview: Tolima.