The Colombian Town Where Every House Tells a Story

Quick Context

From the air, Guatapé looks invented: a rainbow town wedged into a maze of green islands and turquoise water, with a single giant rock shooting 200 meters straight up out of it. All of it is real, and most of it is recent.

That lake isn't natural. In the 1970s the valley was dammed for hydroelectric power and deliberately flooded — drowning the old town of El Peñol, whose residents were relocated to higher ground. A cross still marks the spot where the old town sits underwater.

Then there's the town itself. Look at the bottom of nearly every building: those painted panels are called zócalos, relief murals that started in the 1920s when one local artist decorated his house and the neighbors wanted their own. Each one tells a story — the family inside, their trade, a bit of folklore — so a walk down any street reads like a picture book.