A foolish question in the
middle of the night disturbed my reading in one of the biggest plazas in South
America. I suddenly heard: Miss, do you know when Villa de Leyva was founded? I had arrived in town
that morning from Bogota and would spend only one night since I was to start my
journey back to Medellin.
Villa de Leyva is a
colonial village, trapped in time, with a material palette restricted to white
walls, inlaid wooden structure and red clay tiles. I had spent all afternoon
documenting the contrast between the white and colorful elements scattered in
its context. Despite the nostalgia
that the town evoked, I hadn’t stopped to find out the place’s exact age so
couldn’t give a correct answer to this curious craftsman. I decided then to clarify
I was a foreigner and apologize. Carlos had indigenous features, simple garments and agile hands. He began
to narrate the complex history of Spanish colonization, while strenuously
working at a thread bracelet. I listened carefully; his quoting of exact dates and big characters
implied veracity. That night I received the most detailed tour of my life, for
free, with no need of all the arrangements usually depended on. I learned that the cobble
stone streets of Villa de Leyva had been designed to walk slowly and carefully.
As we strolled, a
citywide blackout happened. Carlos seemed harmless, but my fear of being in complete darkness with a
total stranger became obvious. He just pointed to the sky, leaving me
speechless with such a magical image, it was a special gift. My fear dissipated.
Carlos invited me to
explore the villa’s surroundings the next day.
He was guiding three more backpackers he had randomly encountered
earlier. I hesitantly accepted. I had established my
departure for the next day at noon so I made him swear we would return in time
to catch my bus. The next morning, I met the backpackers, three genuine individuals that
welcomed me into their gang. After spending the morning surrounded by hills and streams, I decided to
postpone my departure to go camping with my new friends in the neighboring
mountains. That night, immersed in
nature, we forced ourselves to be resourceful and went back to basics. Laughing, gathered around
the fire, I witnessed the intrinsic nobility of men who decide to travel to
unknown places in search of themselves and their true purpose.
