Plaza Mayor in Villa de Leyva

The Plaza Mayor in Villa de Leyva is one of the largest in all of South America.

Pretty amazing for a hill town of only about 10,000.

It has a fountain in the middle that still works. But that's about it. Otherwise it's just a big expanse of cobblestones. It has been this way since the city was founded by the Spaniards in the late 1500s. This is obviously a very conservative place because little has changed since colonial days.

Even the name of the Plaza Mayor has not been changed to be that of a war hero or other favorite son, which seems to be the norm elsewhere.

Because Villa de Leyva is in such a time warp, it has become very popular with weekend tourists from Bogota, only a few hours south, and many wealthy Bogatanos have second homes here.

There are many nice hikes in the hills surrounding the city, and lots of other natural attractions nearby.

It's easy to see why so many people are charmed by this place.