AGUAS

ADENTRO
U n a

t r a v e s a

d e

A n g l o G o l d

A s h a n t i

intheWATER
A Journey by AngloGold Ashanti

AGUAS
ADENTRO
U n a

t r a v e s a

d e

A n g l o G o l d

A s h a n t i

intheWATER
A Journey by AngloGold Ashanti

AGUAS
ADENTRO
U n a

t r a v e s a

d e

A n g l o G o l d

A s h a n t i

intheWATER
A Journey by AngloGold Ashanti

Sandra Ocampo Kohn |

Ramn Pineda | Lina Britto |

Adriana Rodrguez C. |
Ivn Malaver |

Camilo A. Parra P. |
Gatos Gemelos Comunicacin |

John Freddy Sastoque |

Nelson Rojas V. |
Erick H. Pichot R. |

ISBN 978-958-98753-2-2
Copyright 2011 AngloGold Ashanti Colombia
Todos los derechos reservados de autor - editor.
No puede ser reproducida parte alguna de este libro
sin autorizacin del editor.
Primera edicin, diciembre de 2011

direccin editorial

| editorial direction

concepto, investigacin y redaccin

fotografa

| photography

coordinador senior comunicaciones

direccin de arte

| senior communications coordinator

| art direction

diseo y diagramacin
color

| concept, research and writing

| layout

| color

correccin de textos
supervisin general

| copy editing

| general supervision

AngloGold Ashanti Limited

Mark Cutifani |

ceo

| chief executive officer

AngloGold Ashanti Amricas

Ron Largent
Ken Kluksdahl

vp ejecutivo amricas
vp proyectos

| executive vp americas

| vp projects

AngloGold Ashanti Colombia S.A.

Rafael Herz |
Ramiro Santa |
Abraham Korman |
Klaus Rorhbach |
Jorge Tapia |
Rmulo Sanhueza |
Lewis Kleinhans |
Ivn Matamoros |
Josefina Arajo |

presidente

| president

vicepresidente de asuntos corporativos

| corporate affairs vp

vicepresidente de sostenibilidad ambiental y seguridad industrial

director financiero y administrativo
gerente proyecto la colosa

| colosa project manager

gerente proyecto gramalote

director de exploracin

| financial director

| gramalote project manager

| exploration director

director de control de riesgos

directora de asuntos legales

| risk control director

| legal affairs director

| environmental sustainability and industrial safety vp

contenido
contents

20
Paisajes | Landscapes

72

128

Labores | Work

Ldicas | Recreation

10 | 11

prlogo
rafael herz
presidente

A comienzos del siglo XXI el agua comenz a ser el centro de un

acuerdo con nuestros valores como empresa minera responsable, esto

debate mundial. Muchos han dicho que hay una crisis por un uso

significa un compromiso con el respeto, proteccin y promocin del

indiscriminado del recurso, otros denuncian la contaminacin de las

medio ambiente. Y en el corazn de ese compromiso est el cuidado

fuentes hdricas y unos ms su escasez. Pero el tema va ms all:

del agua, un recurso que en AngloGold Ashanti Colombia entendemos

las Naciones Unidas han reconocido que los Objetivos del Mileno, en

como vital para la sociedad, el medioambiente y la economa.

especial aquellos que se concentran en la superacin de la pobreza, no

podrn alcanzarse sin un acceso adecuado y equitativo a los recursos,

Estamos convencidos de que es importante proteger los nacimientos

entre los cuales se consideran como ms relevantes el agua y la

de agua y los ros y hacer un uso cuidadoso y eficiente de este recurso

energa.

para garantizar, como siempre lo hemos dicho, que cualquier impacto

sobre el agua ser evitado, y en caso de que no sea posible, ser

Los compromisos que han adquirido los pases en esa materia implican

compensado. Esto significa que el recurso hdrico para uso domstico

satisfacer las necesidades bsicas para obtener agua potable de manera

y agrcola no se afectar ni en calidad ni en cantidad debido a nuestras

segura y suficiente, asegurar la alimentacin, en especial para los

operaciones.

ms vulnerables, a partir de un uso ms efectivo del recurso hdrico, y

proteger los ecosistemas mediante un manejo sostenible del agua. Pero

El agua es un recurso de todos. En AngloGold Ashanti Colombia hace

van ms lejos: es necesario valorar el lquido desde el punto de vista

parte de nuestro compromiso cotidiano, y por esa conviccin brindamos

econmico, social, ambiental y cultural.

un alto nivel en la gestin del recurso y un compromiso de mejora

continua. Su cuidado exige corresponsabilidad y una perspectiva

Finalmente, se ha hecho un llamado a los gobiernos para que su gestin

a largo plazo, que abarca innovacin tecnolgica, proteccin en la

sea sabia, transparente y beneficie a todos los grupos de inters, y a las

produccin y el manejo del recurso, trabajo con y desde la comunidad, y

empresas para que promuevan una industria ms limpia, con respeto a

la construccin de una poltica pblica que garantice acceso equitativo

la calidad del agua y las necesidades de todos los que usan este recurso.

y uso eficiente.

Ese ha sido nuestro compromiso en AngloGold Ashanti Colombia. Y

Este libro, Aguas adentro, es un tributo a este recurso vital. Nos

lo hemos evidenciado desde nuestra llegada al pas, con cada una de

complace y enorgullece poder entregar este homenaje y este

nuestras acciones. Actuamos, a partir de la etapa de exploracin, de

compromiso a los colombianos.

Prologue
rafael herz
president

In the early 21st Century, water began to be the center of a

stage, according to our values as a responsible mining company,

global debate. Many have said that there is a crisis due to

which means a commitment with the respect, protection and

the indiscriminate use of the resource; others denounce the

promotion of the environment. And at the heart of that commitment

contamination of water sources and some others its scarcity. But the

is the care for water, a resource that we in AngloGold Ashanti

issue goes beyond this: The United Nations has recognized that the

Colombia know as being vital for society, the environment and the

Millennium Goals, especially those that focus on overcoming poverty,

economy.

cannot be accomplished without the adequate and equitable access

to resources, among which water and energy are considered the most

We are convinced that it is important to protect water and river sources

significant.

and to make a careful and efficient use of this resource, avoiding, as

we have always said, every negative impact on it; and if these cannot

The commitments that the countries have made on this matter involve

be avoided, to compensate for them. This means that the quality and

satisfying the basic need of obtaining drinking water in a safe and

quantity of water resources for domestic and agricultural uses will not

sufficient manner, guaranteeing food supply especially for the most

be affected as a result of our operations.

vulnerable, possible due to a more effective use of water, and protecting

the ecosystems through sustainable water management. And it goes

Water is a resource that belongs to all. In AngloGold Ashanti Colombia,

further: it is necessary to value water from the economic, social,

its protection is part of our daily commitment, and due to this

environmental and cultural standpoints.

conviction, we have a high management level of this resource and the

decision to continue improving. Its care requires co-responsibility and a

Finally, a call has been made to governments, for them to have

long-term perspective that includes technological innovation, protection

transparent management that benefits all of the stakeholders, and

in production, and the management of resources; working with and

businesses that promote a cleaner industry, which respects the quality

from the community, and building a public policy that ensures its

of water and the needs of all those who use this resource.

equitable and efficient use.

This has been our commitment in AngloGold Ashanti Colombia, and

This book titled Aguas Adentro (In the Water) is a tribute to this vital

we have proved this through each of our actions from the time when

resource. We are pleased and proud to give this recognition and make

we arrived to Colombia. We have acted, starting from the exploration

this commitment with the Colombian People.

12 | 13

introduccin
ABRAHAM KORMAN
vicepresidente de sostenibilidad
ambiental y seguridad industrial

Colombia es una potencia en agua; per cpita,

algo ms del 1%, los desastres naturales cerca de

sistema cerrado que le permite reciclar 100% del

tenemos ms agua que Brasil. Sin embargo, los

0,9% y la degradacin de la tierra 0,8%. Estas cifras

agua que utiliza tanto para uso domstico como

recientes fenmenos naturales han evidenciado

justifican una inversin pronta.

industrial.

los ltimos tres aos hemos tenido sequa por

El debate no debe ser cul va a ser el problema

Segn las cifras que se tienen hoy, en una futura

verano en el 2009, inundaciones en el 2010 y de

que pueda causar la minera responsable en el

etapa de produccin, La Colosa consumira lo

nuevo inundaciones en el 2011, aun cuando se

futuro. Los usos promedio en el mundo hablan

que hoy consume una finca de 235 hectreas.

prevea un invierno semejante al del ao anterior.

de que la agricultura consume 70% del agua, la

Este consumo se puede y debe compensar.

Esto caus que la mayora de los municipios

industria 19% y el uso domstico 11%. Dentro de

Adicionalmente el porcentaje de agua que no se

racionaran agua potable, y luego se tuviera

la industria, la minera ms o menos representa

reutiliza, sera tratado para que no tenga ninguna

desabastecimiento de agua y destruccin de

2%. En pases con tradicin minera, como Canad,

consecuencia negativa reflejada en cantidad o

infraestructura y viviendas.

el consumo de agua que hace esta industria es de

calidad para uso domstico, o para uso agrcola.

que el recurso ha sido mal manejado. Solo en

1,5% del total, y en otros ms secos, como Chile,

Colombia es un pas que an no ha desarrollado

es de 4,5%.

El agua que existe es suficiente para la convivencia

entre agricultura, otras industrias y minera,

la industria minera con todo su potencial, pero ha

presenciado el surgimiento de diversos grupos

La cuenca del Coello mantiene la tendencia. Con

pero tenemos que preocuparnos desde hoy por

que se han declarado opositores de la minera,

un agravante: segn las autoridades, entre 70 y

su uso racional, porque haya regulacin de la

supuestamente por su impacto sobre el agua.

90% del consumo es ilegal, y el agua en la cuenca

cuenca, obras y seguimiento; o la zona enfrentar

baja, donde se dan los mayores usos, no es potable.

problemas de abastecimiento. El debate no se

puede dar alrededor de prejuicios, por eso la

El debate ambiental no aborda a fondo los

problemas que enfrentamos hoy, que son

La discusin alrededor del agua relacionada con

pregunta no es oro o agua, oro o agricultura. Varios

independientes del tema minero: pobre desarrollo

el proceso de exploracin del proyecto La Colosa

pases debatieron el tema y lo resolvieron en forma

de infraestructura, destruccin de las reas a la

ha estado mal dirigida y se han construido una

exitosa, como Chile, que tiene un fuerte sustento

vera de los ros, expansin de la frontera agrcola,

serie de mitos. Muchos afirman que el Proyecto,

en la agricultura y la minera.

que ha causado deforestacin y desregulacin

usar una gran cantidad de agua, acabar los

de las cuencas, contaminacin de los cauces por

nacimientos y contaminar los ros.

La pregunta es cmo hacemos mejor uso de esos

recursos, cmo los convertimos en riqueza para

vertimientos directos, plantas de tratamiento

inadecuadas, escaso tratamiento de aguas

La Colosa, que se encuentra en exploracin ha

todos los tolimenses. Para nosotros, exige un proceso

servidas.

tenido un manejo responsable e innovador del

constante de autorregulacin que sigue los ms altos

agua: ha hecho un uso eficiente de las aguas

estndares internacionales y nacionales, y que se

Segn el Banco Mundial, esta situacin cuesta cada

lluvias, y de esta manera ha reducido la cantidad

convierte en nuestro compromiso y responsabilidad.

ao casi 4% de PIB del pas, el problema del agua

de agua que toma de los afluentes, y construy un

En ello trabajamos sin pausa, da a da.

introduction
ABRAHAM KORMAN
environmental sustainability
and industrial safety Vicepresident

Colombia is a water power. We have more water

The debate should not be which will be the problem

According to the current figures, in a future

per capita than Brazil. However, recent natural

that responsible mining might cause in the future.

production stage, La Colosa would consume as

disasters have shown that this resource has been

Average uses in the world show that agriculture

much water as a 235-hecatare farm consumes

mismanaged. Only recently, in the past three years,

consumes 70% of the water, industry 19% and

today. This consumption can and must be

we had a summer drought in 2009, floods in 2010

domestic use 11%. Mining represents approximately

compensated. Additionally, the percentage of water

and again in floods in 2011 even though a winter

2% of the industry water use. In countries that

that is not reused would be treated to avoid any

similar to that of the previous year was expected.

have a mining tradition, such as Canada, the water

negative consequences, which would result in a

All of this caused rationing of drinking water and

consumption of this industry is approximately 1.5%

better quality and quantity of water for domestic or

then disasters and destruction of infrastructures and

of the total; and in drier countries like Chile, it is

agricultural use.

homes that were caused by constant floods.

approximately 4.5%.

In Colombia the mining industry has not yet

The Coello Basin maintains this trend with

coexistence of agriculture, other industries and

developed to its full potential but it has faced

aggravating circumstances: According to the

mining, but we have to start worrying from today

the raising attacks of different groups which

authorities, between 70 and 90% of the consumption

about its rational use; guaranteeing that there is

have declared themselves opponents of mining,

is illegal and the water of the lower basin where it

regulation and monitoring on the basin and the

supposedly due to its impact on water.

has its highest use, it is not potable.

works that are being carried out, or the zone will

The water that exists is sufficient for the

face water supply problems. The debate cannot be

The environmental debate does not address in depth

The discussion around the water, associated with

based on prejudices. That is the reason why the

the problems we face today, which are current

the exploration process of the La Colosa Project, has

question is not whether to have gold or water or

and independent from the mining issues: poor

been wrongly focused and it has been constructed

gold or agriculture. Several countries discussed

infrastructure development, destruction of the river

with a series of myths. The view of many is that the

this issue and solved it successfully, such as Chile,

meadows areas, and expansion of the agricultural

Project will use high quantities of water, that it is

where many earn their living in agriculture and

frontier which has caused deforestation and

going to do away with all of the water sources of the

mining.

deregulation of basins, pollution of river beds due to

region and that it will contaminate rivers.

The question is how we can make the best use of

direct dumping, inadequate water treatment plants

La Colosa, which is under exploration, has had a

those resources, and how we can convert them

responsible and innovative water management: it

into wealth for all the Tolima inhabitants. For us

According to the World Bank, this situation costs almost

has used the rainwater efficiently, reducing in this

it demands a constant self-regulation process that

4% of the Countrys yearly Gross Domestic Product, the

manner the quantity of water that it takes from

follows the highest international and national

water problem a little more than 1%, natural disasters

tributaries, and it has built a closed water system

standards, and which becomes our commitment

about 0.9%, and land degradation about 0.8%. These

that enables it to recycle 100% of the water that it

and responsibility. In this effort we work day by day

figures justify an immediate investment.

uses for domestic and industrial use.

without fainting.

and poor sewage treatment.

14 | 15

prefacio
Ramiro Santa
Vicepresidente de Asuntos Corporativos

El agua es un recurso vital para el desarrollo. Es un activo de

mediante acciones de reforestacin, que complementan las

la comunidad, las industrias y los pases.

actividades de agricultura, industria y minera responsable y

con estndares medibles.

Con este libro, en AngloGold Ashanti Colombia rendimos

tributo a un recurso que significa vida, prosperidad y

En AngloGold Ashanti Colombia tenemos un mandato claro,

transformacin. Aguas adentro hace un recorrido por nuestro

que nace en los valores y se traduce en procesos y estndares

Tolima, con nfasis en la cuenca del Coello.

que nos permiten operar en todos los pases del mundo y

nos ha asegurado convivencia, bienestar y progreso de la

Tratamos de reconstruir el agua que fluye y a su paso crea

mano de las comunidades y las autoridades, impulsando

paisajes, trae recuerdos y construye historias. El agua como

las vocaciones productivas de las zonas donde operamos,

una fuerza natural que crea vida.

con lo cual promovemos los derechos humanos mediante

el mejoramiento de la calidad de vida de las personas y la

Recogimos tambin historias del agua como fuente de

inclusin local, que se refleja en empleo y contratacin de

mejoramiento de la calidad de vida: aquella que riega los

proveedores.

cultivos, en la que nuestros pescadores encuentran sustento,

que mueve la industria, transforma materias primas y nos

Aguas adentro es otra expresin de nuestro compromiso con

acompaa en todas las actividades de estudios cientficos,

la sostenibilidad y el futuro generoso, equitativo e incluyente

como la exploracin minera.

de las prximas generaciones de tolimenses y colombianos.

Nuestro libro cierra con el agua como escenario de recreacin

y encuentro para nios, jvenes y adultos.
Este recorrido, Aguas adentro, nos ensea que el agua es un
activo de todos y para todos, e invita a cuidarla, a protegerla
de contaminaciones, a generar espacios de discusin
alrededor del agua, y a desarrollar acciones para garantizar
su presencia, como lo hacen muchos pases del mundo

preface
Ramiro Santa
corporate affairs Vicepresident

Water is a vital resource for development. It is an asset of the

for discussion around the water; and develop actions to

community, industries and countries.

guarantee its presence like many countries the world have

done through reforestation processes, which complement

Through this book, we want to pay tribute in AngloGold

agriculture, industry and responsible mining activities with

Ashanti Colombia to a resource that means life, prosperity

measurable standards.

and transformation. Aguas Adentro (In the Water) makes a

journey through our dear Tolima region, with an emphasis on

In AngloGold Ashanti Colombia we have a clear mandate

the Coello Basin.

which was born in values and translates into processes and

standards that enable us to operate in all the countries, and

We tried to reconstruct the water that flows and on its way

has granted for us welfare and progress. A progress that

creates landscapes; the water that brings back memories and

goes hand in hand with the communities and authorities,

makes up stories; the water that is like a natural force that

promoting the productive vocations of the zones in which

creates life.

we operate, through which we encourage the promotion of

human rights with the improvement of the quality of life of

We also collected stories about the water as a source for

the local people as well as local inclusion, which is reflected

improving the quality of life of the people: the water which

in employment and the contracting of of local and regional

irrigates crops; the water in which our fishermen earn their

suppliers.

living; the water which moves industries, transforms raw

materials and accompanies us on all the activities of scientific

Aguas Adentro is another expression of our commitment with

studies such as mineral exploration.

the sustainability and a generous, equitable and inclusive

future of the next generation of the Tolima and Colombian

Our book closes with water as a setting for recreation and a

people.

meeting place for children, young people and adults.

Through this journey, Aguas Adentro teaches us that water is
an asset of all and for all; and it invites us to take care of it,
to protect it from contamination, and to create opportunities

16 | 17

Landscapes. It springs, flows, jumps, falls,

runs, grows, meanders and melts. Along the way,

the water creates environments, contours, roads
and maps full of history.

Paisajes

Brota, fluye, salta, cae, corre, crece, serpentea y se funde. A su paso el agua
crea entornos, contornos, caminos, cartografas plenas de historia.

Ser de agua

La cuenca del gran ro de La Magdalena ocupa el 24% del territorio

nacional. Aunque no es el ms largo del pas, s es el que ms
departamentos atraviesa. Dieciocho en total. Y uno de ellos es Tolima.
Bendecida por esta larga corriente dadora de vida, la tierra tolimense
le tributa honores y lo hace ms fuerte en su recorrido hacia Bocas de
Ceniza, pues son muchos los ros pijaos que fluyen hacia l, como el
Prado, el Recio, el Gual, el Cabrera, el Tetun, el Saldaa y el Coello.
Tierra de contrastes, el Magdalena no podra tener tantos grandes

Pgina siguiente. La cuenca del

ro Coello es una de las ms
importantes del Tolima; y baa
los campos de los municipios de
Cajamarca, Rovira, Ibagu, San
Luis, Coello, El Espinal y Flandes.

No existe un ro en Colombia que tenga ms historia que el

afluentes en el Tolima si no es porque el 49% del territorio del Parque

Magdalena. Por l y sus barcos de vapor entr una buena parte del

Natural Nacional Los Nevados est en territorio tolimense. Con sus

progreso al pas; por l han surgido mltiples oficios y empresas que

glaciares y sus entraas de fuego, el Ruiz, el Santa Isabel y el Tolima

alimentan la economa del pas; por l florecieron grandes ciudades,

son los nevados que se convierten en la fbrica de agua ms importante

como Barranquilla y Barrancabermeja, y hermosos puertos, como

del departamento. All nacen el Totare, el Combeima, el Gual, y el

Mompox, Honda y Ambalema, que por su antigedad y su belleza hoy

Toche, que ms abajo, por Cajamarca, se va a convertir en el Coello.

son patrimonio cultural y arquitectnico de la Nacin; de l se han

escrito canciones, novelas, y a sus orillas se han filmado pelculas y

Superpramos abundantes en ceniza, nieve y roca; pramos adornados

telenovelas; por l y muchsimos ms ros que nos atraviesan de sur

de lagunas y pajonales, y bosques de romern, encenillo y pino, son los

a norte, de occidente a oriente, nuestro pas goza de una gran riqueza

tres ecosistemas caractersticos del Parque Los Nevados, que permiten

hdrica.

que brote pura el agua que luego va a nutrir las diferentes cuencas

22 | 23

hidrogrficas del Tolima. Son tres las cuencas que ms se destacan en

el departamento: Saldaa, Totare y Coello.
La ms grande es la del ro Saldaa, que con una extensin de 9.800
km2 tiene entre sus afluentes los ros Hereje, Cucuana, Ortega, Tetun,
Cambrn y Amoy. Otra cuenca para destacar es la del Coello, que tiene
una extensin de 2.000 km2. Las aguas de este ro corren de occidente a
oriente, y en sus casi 125 kilmetros de longitud recibe las aguas, entre
otros, del Anaime, el Bermelln y el Combeima.
Especialmente de la amplia regin que atraviesa la cuenca del ro
Coello es que trata este libro. Paisajes, personajes, usos y oficios de
un territorio que se extiende hasta llegar a ese gran eje fluvial que
es el Magdalena estn aqu presentes, interconectados por pueblos,
carreteras, rieles, lagunas, ros, saltos, quebradas, estampas que dan
cuenta de un Tolima bendecido por el agua.

El agua es el vehculo de la naturaleza, sola decir el artista y genio

Leonardo Da Vinci. Y en Tolima s que cobran sentido sus palabras. Es
el agua, las aguas, las que conforman esos paisajes de altas montaas
nevadas, de extensos valles cruzados por voluntariosos ros, de
profundos caones de piedra que se abren al paso de la corriente. Como
fuerza de la naturaleza, es el agua la que ha esculpido el paisaje del
Tolima. No en vano alguna vez fue capaz de borrar a un pueblo entero,
Armero, que en ese momento era la segunda ciudad del departamento.
No en vano a cada momento reconfigura sus riveras, y ros como el
Combeima y Anaime, cuando se crecen, se llevan todo a su paso y
crean nuevos contornos: el primero, por ejemplo, casi borr del mapa
en 1959 a la poblacin de Juntas.
Y ah est el ser humano, tratando de conocer y dominar esa fuerza
natural. Por aqu pas Bolvar con sus caballos, sus tropas y sus ideas
para que furamos independientes, por aqu pas Jos Celestino Mutis,
descubriendo maravillado la riqueza en flora que tenemos. Haciendo
represas, jageyes, puentes, caminos, hacindose amigo del agua para
poder vivir, gozar de ella.

24 | 25

To Be of Water
There isnt any other river in Colombia with more history
than the Magdalena River. Much of the countrys progress came
thanks to this river and its steamboats. Through the Magdalena River,
multiple occupations and enterprises have emerged that supply the
countrys economy. Through this river, large cities like Barranquilla,
Barrancabermeja and beautiful ports such as Mompox, Honda and
Ambalema flourished, and today, due to their antiquity and beauty,
constitute a cultural and architectural heritage of the Nation. Songs
and novels have been written about the Magdalena River, and various
movies and soap operas have been filmed along its banks. Thanks to
the Magdalena River and many more rivers that cross the country from
the south to the north and from the west to the east, Colombia enjoys
rich water resources.
The basin of the great Magdalena River covers 24% of the Colombian
territory. Although it is not the longest river in the country, it is the one
that crosses most Departments in Colombia; eighteen in total and one
of them is Tolima. Blessed by this long, life-giving current, the land of
Tolima pays it tribute, strengthening it on its trajectory towards Bocas
de Ceniza through the many Pijao rivers that flow into it such as the
Prado, Recio, Gual, Cabrera, Tetun, Saldaa and Coello Rivers.

26 | 27

In a land of contrasts, the Magdalena River would not have so many

this river run from west to east and in along its nearly 125 kilometers,

tributaries in the Tolima Department if it werent because 49% of the

it receives water from the Anaime, Bermelln and Combeima Rivers,

Parque Natural Nacional de los Nevados (the Los Nevados natural

among others.

national park) territory is located inside Tolima Department. With their

glacial areas and inner fire, the Ruiz, Santa Isabel and Tolima snow-

The theme of this book is especially about the wide region that cuts

covered peaks convert this into the most important water factory of the

across the Coello River basin. Landscapes, people, uses and occupations

Department. It is there where the Totare, Combeima and Guali Rivers

of a territory that extends up to the major river axis of the Magdalena

are born as well as the Toche, which futher down, around Cajamarca,

River, are present here, interconnected by towns, roads, rails, lakes,

becomes the Coello River.

rivers, waterfalls, streams: evidence a Tolima blessed with water.

Extremely high lands, abundant in ash, snow and rocks; high lands

Water is the vehicle of nature, used to say the artist and genius

adorned with lakes and scrublands; and the Romern, Encenillo

Leonardo Da Vinci. And in Tolima these words make sense. It is

(Weinmannia tormentosa) and pine forests are the three characteristic

the water which constitutes those landscapes of high snow-covered

ecosystems of the Nevados park, which enable the high supply of pure

mountains, of extensive valleys crossed by self-willed rivers, and of

water that goes on to nourish the different river basins of Tolima. There

deep stone canyons that open up as the current passes through. As

are three basins that stand out in the Department: the Saldaa, Totare

a force of nature, it is the water which has sculpted the landscape of

and Coello basins. The largest is the Saldana River basin which, with

Tolima. No wonder that it was once capable of wiping out a whole

an area of 9,800 km , has among its tributaries, the Hereje, Cucuana,

town, Armero, which was at that time the second largest city of the

Ortega, Tetun, Cambrn and Amoy Rivers. Another basin that stands

Department. No wonder that it reconfigures all the time its brooks and

out is the Coello basin, which has an area of 2,000 km . The waters of

rivers such as the Combeima and Anaime. When they grow, they take

everything in their path and create new surroundings: the first river, for
example, almost wiped out in 1959 the population of Juntas.
And there is the human being, trying to get to know and master this
natural force. Bolvar passed through it with his horses, his troops and
his ideas to make us independent; Jos Celestino Mutis passed by those
areas, discovering with amazement the wealth of flora that we have;
constructing dams, jageyes, bridges, and roads; befriending the water

You could not step twice into the same river.

in order to live and enjoy it.

Heraclitus
28 | 29

Subir y admirar

La llama se ve a kilmetros. De da y de noche la antorcha est encendida. El fuego que

despide uno de los pozos de una multinacional petrolera ya es parte del paisaje de Purificacin. Est
en las faldas del cerro Perico, un mirador natural desde el que se puede apreciar una buena parte
del suroriente del Tolima. Para ir hasta all se sigue por una estrecha y empinada carretera, llena de
curvas y espejos que avisan quin baja y quin sube. Luego, en la vereda Tres Mesetas se contina a
pie, por un camino de escalones de piedra. Media hora de escalada e intenso calor son recompensados
cuando se llega a la cima. A la derecha, los ros Magdalena y Saldaa se ven como serpientes
atravesando el valle. A la izquierda, la represa de Prado se ve en toda su imponencia, las crestas de
la montaa que la cruzan se asemejan a la cola de un gigante cocodrilo. El viento pega fuerte y no
caben dudas de que vali la pena estar ah arriba para admirar la belleza del Tolima. | The flame is
seen miles away. The torch burns day and night. The heat that is given off by one of the wells of a
multinational oil company has already become part of the landscape of Purificacin. A natural scenic
viewpoint lies on the slopes of the Cerro Perico from which much of Southeast Tolima can be seen. To
get there it is necessary to go on a narrow and steep road full of curves and mirrors which tell you who
goes up and down the road. Then, in the Tres Mesetas rural district, one continues on foot along a path
of stone steps. Half an hour of climbing under an intense heat are rewarded when the top is reached.
On the right, the Magdalena and Saldaa Rivers can be seen, looking like snakes running through the
valley. On the left is the Prado Dam in all its grandeur; the mountain ridges that cross it resemble the
tail of a giant crocodile. The wind blows hard. There is no doubt that it was worth going up to admire
the beauty of Tolima.

Climb and Admire

30 | 31

La fbrica de agua
El Nevado del Tolima es travieso. Le gusta jugar a esconderse.

El 51% del territorio del Parque Natural Nacional de los Nevados

Aparece y desaparece a su antojo entre la neblina. Y pareciera que

se lo reparten Caldas, Risaralda y Quindo. El 49% restante est en

elige a quienes desea que lo vean. Y les pone pruebas: el que quiera

jurisdiccin del Tolima, en los municipios de Casabianca, Herveo,

verlo a lo lejos, vestido con sus nieves perpetuas, tiene que madrugar

Murillo, Villahermosa, Santa Isabel, Ibagu y Anzotegui. Es una

e ir en su bsqueda. Pero no basta con eso, puede que el sacrificio

presencia que se traduce en agua. All nacen el Gual, el Lagunilla, el

no sea recompensado y l se esconda entre la bruma de las alturas

Recio, el Fro, el Coello, el Combeima, entre otros que alimentan al gran

hasta el da siguiente. El juego de descubrirlo destapado puede durar

ro de La Magdalena y surten los acueductos de la regin.

semanas enteras. Pero valdr la pena si se deja ver por unos instantes,
suficientes para que los ojos se llenen de su majestuosidad, de su

La fbrica de agua tambin produce espectaculares paisajes y lugares

blancura casi inalcanzable.

que son dignos de visitar. Adems de la nieve, son las lagunas Verde,
el Encanto y la Bombona, las innumerables piscinas termales y los

A 5.215 metros de altura sobre el nivel del mar, el Nevado del Tolima

extensos pramos los que dan mayor encanto a esta cadena de nevados

es una de las cinco cumbres con nieve que conforman el Parque

y volcanes de la cordillera Central, sin duda uno de los lugares ms

Nacional Natural de los Nevados. El Ruiz, el Quindo, el Cisne y el Santa

hermosos de Colombia. Por eso vale la pena aceptarle su juego, buscarlo

Isabel completan este santuario montaoso, que es una de las grandes

y seguirlo hasta que se deje ver. Y si no, subir hasta l y disfrutar de

fbricas de agua de Colombia. En los deshielos, en las lagunas de origen

toda su grandeza.

glaciar y en las formadas por aguas subterrneas, est el origen de esos

pequeos raudales que a medida que descienden se convierten en ros
que lentamente avanzan, encontrndose unos a otros, hasta verter sus
aguas en las cuencas del Cauca y del Magdalena.

32 | 33

The Water Factory

The Nevado del Tolima is wicked. It likes to play hide-and-seek.
It appears and disappears at will in the mist and it seems like it chooses
by whom it wants to be seen. And it puts everyone to the test: whoever
wants to see it in the distance, wearing its perpetual snow, has to get up
early and go on its quest. But that is not enough; the sacrifice may not
get its reward and it may hide in the mists of the heights until the next
day. The game of finding it uncovered may last entire weeks. But it will
be worth it if it allows itself to be seen for enough time for the eyes to be
filled with its majesty, with its almost unattainable whiteness.
At 5,215 meters above sea level, the Nevado del Tolima is one of the
five snow-covered peaks that make up the Parque Natural Nacional de
los Nevados (the Los Nevados natural national park). The Ruiz, Quindo,
el Cisne and Santa Isabel complete this mountainous sanctuary which
is one of the greatest water factories in Colombia. In the thaws, in
the lakes of glacial origin and in those formed by groundwater is the
source of these small streams that become slow-moving rivers as they
descend, meeting together to pour out their waters into the Cauca and
Magdalena River Basins.

51% of the territory of the Parque Natural Nacional de los Nevados

is inside the Departments of Caldas, Risaralda and Quindio. The
remaining 49% is inside the jurisdiction of Tolima, in the municipalities
of Casabianca, Herveo, Murillo, Villahermosa, Santa Isabel, Ibagu and
Anzoategui. This is a presence that turns into water. It is there where
the Gual, Lagunilla, Recio, Fro, Coello and the Combeima Rivers are
born, among others that feed the great Magdalena River and supply
waters to the region.
The water factory also produces spectacular landscapes and places
which are worth visiting. In addition to the snow, the lakes Laguna
Verde, El Encanto and La Bombona, the innumerable thermal pools and
the extensive high plateaus add greater charm to this chain of snowcovered peaks and volcanoes of the Central Mountain Range, which
is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places in Colombia. This is
the reason why it is worth playing its game: to seek and follow until it
allows itself to be seen; and otherwise, to just climb it and enjoy all its
grandeur.

34 | 35

Los Ilustrados
Segn cuentan, no hay hilo de agua en el Tolima que no haya sido cruzado por el
Libertador Simn Bolvar o por el sabio Jos Celestino Mutis. De Bolvar se dice que los
caminos de mulas lo condujeron por las cordilleras Central y Oriental, en su travesa de
regreso desde el Per hacia su destino final en Santa Marta, despus de liberar medio
continente, y que en las aguas dulces del Tolima descans de la faena. De Mutis se dice
que inventari toda la vida natural que encontr a su paso, con el fin de cumplir con
su objetivo de asistir a la Corona en mejorar la explotacin de los bosques de quina y
experimentar con plantas que se estimaban de valor comercial o medicinal, como el t.
De Bolvar quedan referencias escuetas en uno que otro libro. De Mutis sobrevive la
casa que fue sede de su Expedicin Botnica en el municipio de Mariquita y cientos de
los dibujos que con su grupo de sabios traz. De ambos quedan huellas diluidas por el
tiempo an flotando en la memoria de los mayores.

Purificacin, Honda, Ibagu y

Ambalema, cuatro destinos clave
de El Sabio y el Libertador.

Purificacin, Honda, Ibagu and

Ambalema, four key destinations
visited by the Libertador and El Sabio.

According to what has been heard, there is not a water trickle in Tolima which was
not crossed at some point in time by the Liberator Simon Bolivar or by the Wise Jose
Celestino Mutis. About Bolivar it is said that the mule trails led him through the Central
and Eastern Mountain Ranges on his journey back from Peru to his final destination
in Santa Marta after liberating half a continent, and that in the sweet waters of Tolima
he rested from his task. About Mutis it is said that he inventoried all the natural life
that he found along the way, in order to fulfill his goal of assisting the Spanish Crown
in improving the exploitation of Cinchona forests and experimenting with plants that
were considered to have commercial or medicinal value such as tea. There are still
brief references about Bolivar in a few books. Regarding Mutis, the house that was the
headquarter of the Botanical Expedition still survives in the municipality of Mariquita
as well as hundreds of drawings that he made with his group of scholars. There are still
traces of both diluted by time, still floating in the memory of the elderly.

The Enlightened Ones

36 | 37

En los bosques andinos de la franja occidental de la cordillera Oriental y en los pramos de

la franja oriental de la cordillera Central crecen variedades de plantas con gran capacidad
para retener humedad. Mientras el helecho se puede ver colgado en las casas, refrescando
con sus hojas desmayadas zaguanes y corredores, la palma chonta slo se usa en medio
del bosque; el corazn de su tronco, cuando an est joven, acumula agua, que sirve para
la hidratacin de caminantes y campistas. Ms conocida mundialmente es la guadua. Crece
en terrenos hmedos y secos por igual, y una vez adulta se convierte en una de las maderas
ms frescas para la construccin en climas clidos. Del boro y del pltano slo se buscan
las hojas. Con el primero calma la sed el ganado cuando escasea la lluvia. El segundo se
usa para cubrir alimentos a modo de refrigeracin natural, como los tamales tolimenses,
amasijos de harina y carnes, envueltos en hojas recin cortadas.

Bancos de agua

In the Andean forests of the western fringe of

the Eastern Mountain Range and in the high
plateaus of the eastern fringe of the Central
Mountain Range grow a variety of plants
which have a great capacity for retaining
humidity. While ferns are commonly seen
inside homes, cooling hallways and corridors
with their hanging leaves, palm trees are
only seen in the middle of the forest. When
it is still young it accumulates water in the
heart of its trunk which hydrates hikers
and campers. The bamboo is best known
worldwide. It grows in moist and dry soils
alike, and once it reaches its adult stage
it becomes one of the cooler timbers for
construction in hot climates. Only the leaves
are used from the boro and plantain trees.
The first one quenches the thirst of the
cattle when rain is scarce, and the second
one is used as a natural cooling device for
traditional Colombian food such as tamales
tolimenses, a mix of potatos and meat,
wrapped in fresh-cut leaves.

Water Banks
38 | 39

El mar interior
No tiene olas, no tiene sal, pero es un mar. Su clima, su color
verde, sus acantilados, sus cascadas, sus islas, sus viviendas vacacionales,
sus hoteles, sus lanchas, sus veleros y sus corrientes clidas aptas para
nadar, navegar y disfrutar de deportes acuticos, hacen que a la represa
del Prado la llamen el mar interior de Colombia. Y no es una exageracin.
A dos horas de Ibagu, basta con llegar a su puerto, alquilar una lancha y
recorrerla para olvidarse que se est a un costado de la cordillera Oriental
y sentir que se llega a algn lugar extico del Caribe.

Esta represa, en la que convergen los ros Negro y Cunday, produce

poblarse de elegantes cabaas, se puso a trabajar en construccin. La

1.100 millones de metros cbicos de agua, que se transforman por hora

dedicacin y el esfuerzo le alcanzaron para comprar un lote en el puerto,

en 56.000 kilovatios de energa elctrica para Colombia. Fue inaugurada

y luego para tener un restaurante y un par de lanchas.

en 1972, y como suele suceder cuando se construyen estos lagos

artificiales, muchos pobladores de la regin dejaron de ser agricultores

Ahora, adems de ofrecer para el almuerzo una buena variedad de

para convertirse en marineros. Uno de ellos es Aristbulo, uno de los

pescados fritos, conduce una de sus lanchas, para ensearles a los

tantos guas que a la entrada de Hidroprado se ofrece para atender a los

turistas las maravillas de la represa. Garzas, patos, gavilanes, lagartos,

visitantes. De sombrero de ala ancha para protegerse del sol y un acento

tortugas pueden verse en el recorrido. La cueva del Mohn, la isla

que es mezcla de regiones, Aristbulo cuenta que su pap se vino de

del Sol, la de la Luna, la Laguna Encantada, los laberintos de Yucup,

Girardot, Cundinamarca, a vivir a los cerros de Corrales, en el municipio

la cascada del Amor cuando hay invierno, y las ruinas de la aldea

de Prado, Tolima. En su finca cultivaban maz, arroz, pltano y yuca.

La Vega de Aco su cementerio, sus casas, que qued cubierta por

En ese entonces se gastaban tres horas caminando para el ir al pueblo

la inundacin, son slo algunos de los paisajes de los que se goza

de Prado. Pero luego de que hicieran la represa y la carretera, qued a

navegando por estas aguas, en las que confluyen turistas y pobladores

15 minutos. Viendo que la regin a orillas del mar interior comenz a

orgullosos de vivir en el agua, de vivir de ella.

42 | 43

The Inland Sea

It does not have any waves or salt but it is a sea. Its

climate, green color, cliffs, waterfalls and islands, as well as its holiday
homes, hotels, motor boats, sailboats and warm currents which are
suitable for swimming, sailing and enjoying water sports have made
the Represa Prado to be called El Mar Interior de Colombia (The inland
sea of Colombia). And this is not an exaggeration. Just two hours from
Ibague, you only have to arrive to its Port, rent a small boat and sail on
it to forget that you are just on one side of the Eastern Range, and begin
feeling that you have arrived to some exotic location in the Caribbean.
This dam, in which the Negro and Cunday Rivers converge, produces
1,100 million cubic meters of water which generate 56,000 kilowatts
per hour of electric energy for Colombia. It was inaugurated in 1972
and as it usually happens when these artificial lakes are built, many
residents in the region stopped being farmers to become sailors. One of
them is Aristbulo, one of the many guides who offer their services at the
entrance of the Hidroprado to attend visitors. Wearing a wide-brimmed
hat to protect from the sun and with an accent that is a mixture of
regions, Aristbulo tells the story of how his father came from Girardot,
Cundinamarca, to live on the hills of Corrales in the municipality of
Prado, Tolima. In his farm he used to cultivate corn, rice, plantain and
yucca. At that time it took three hours to walk to the Prado town. But
after the dam and the road were constructed, it only took 15 minutes.
Given that the internal seaside region began to be filled with elegant
cottages, he started to work in construction. His dedication and high
effort enabled him to buy a plot of land inside the Port, and then to
construct a restaurant and buy a couple of motor boats.
Nowadays, besides offering a good variety of fried fish for lunch,
Aristbulo drives one of his boats, showing tourists the wonders of the
dam. Herons, ducks, sparrow hawks, lizards, turtles can be seen on the
trajectory. La cueva del Mohn (Mohans Cave), la isla del Sol (the Suns
Island), la isla de la Luna (the Moons Island), la Laguna Encantada (the
Enchanted Lake), los laberintos de Yucup (the Yucup labyrinths), la
cascada del Amor (the Love Waterfall) in winter; and the ruins of the La
Vega de Aco hamlet, its cemetery and its houses (which were covered
by the flood) are just some of the landscapes which can be enjoyed by
those sailing in these waters, in which tourists meet settlers who are
proud to live in the water and make a living out of it.

El canto de La Colosa
Palmas de cera, palmas bobas, sietecueros, canelos de pramo, carboneros, chusques,
almanegras y un frjol silvestre conocido por los campesinos como todo-el-ao, porque
siempre est en cosecha, son algunas de las especies de rboles y plantas que adornan
y nutren el discurrir de La Colosa. Una enorme cada de cerca de 600 metros da inicio
al recorrido de esta quebrada de la vereda La Luisa, en Cajamarca, que tiene un sonido
particular: el que produce cuando se desliza por sus doce cascadas. Por el terreno escarpado
y por la vegetacin abundante no es fcil verlas, pero al acercarse a su cauce, escuchando
con detenimiento, s podemos disfrutar su apresurado canto de agua.

La Colosa Song
Among the species of trees and plants that adorn and nourish the landscape of La Colosa are included the
wax palms (Ceroxylon quindiuense), sierran palms (Trichipteris frigida), sietecueros (Tibouchina lepidota),
high plateau peppers (Drimys granatensis), coal, dwarf bamboos, critoniopsis and a wild beans (known
by the peasants as todo-el-ao because they are harvested in throughout the year). A huge waterfall of
approximately 600 meters opens the tour of this stream located in the village La Luisa, Cajamarca, which
has a particular sound: the sound that is produced when the water slides through its twelve cascades. Due
to the rugged surface and abundant vegetation, they are not easily seen, but as one comes close to its bank
and listens carefully, the rushed singing of the water can be heard.

46 | 47

Luego de salir de Ibagu por una carretera en regular estado, pasar por la que fuera la casa
del poeta Jorge Isaacs, subir por Chapetn y saborear arepas de chcolo, chorizos y carnes
asadas, y seguir hacia Tres Esquinas, Llanitos, Villa Restrepo y Juntas, en el kilmetro 18 se
llega al mirador Los Sauces. Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, cincuenta, cien, ciento cincuenta,
ciento sesenta, ciento sesenta y cinco escalones hay que subir para apreciar desde all la
belleza del can del Combeima. Ese ro, que nace en el corazn del Nevado del Tolima y
que 55 kilmetros ms abajo desemboca en el Coello, est enmarcado en una buena parte de
su recorrido por enormes paredes de rocas forradas de verde, por rboles largos y antiguos,
por bosques vrgenes, enormes cascadas y decenas de pequeas quebradas que se unen con
l para convertirlo en un santuario de agua.

Mirando
el Combeima

Looking at Combeima
After leaving Ibagu on a road that is not in a very good condition, which goes through what
was once the home of the poet Jorge Isaacs; going up by the Chapetn and tasting the arepas
de chcolo (corn roll), the chorizos (highly-seasoned pork sausages) and the roasts; and
continuing towards Tres Esquinas, Llanitos, Villa Restrepo and Juntas, at the kilometer 18
you will see the mirador Los Sauces (scenic viewpoint). One, two, three, four, five, fifty, one
hundred, one hundred and fifty, one hundred and sixty, one hundred and sixty five steps
have to be climbed to appreciate the beauty of the can del Combeima (the Combeima
Canyon). That river, which rises in the heart of the Nevado del Tolima and flows into the
River Coello 55 kilometers downstream, is framed in most of its extension by huge green
stone walls, by long and ancient trees, by virgin forests, by huge waterfalls and by many
small creeks that join with it to convert it into a water sanctuary.

48 | 49

Oasis

De lejos parecen espejismos, emanaciones del suelo caliente. De cerca son caldos espesos
rebosantes de fauna y flora. Se llaman jageyes y su funcin es esencial en los bosques
secos y llanuras ridas: ser depsitos de lluvias durante el invierno, para servir de fuentes
de agua durante las sequas. All el ganado y los animales silvestres abrevan; reptiles y
depredadores cazan; anfibios, aves, crustceos, peces e insectos se refugian, y los huevos de
cientos de especies se protegen entre el barro y la materia orgnica. Hace unos diez aos se
crearon los primeros jageyes para comunidades con altos ndices de deforestacin y baja
precipitacin. Desde entonces, se siguen construyendo principalmente entre los municipios
de Natagaima, Coyaima y Ortega. Oasis de vida presente y por venir.

Oasis

From far away they seem mirages, emanations from the hot soil. From a close distance they are thick
overflowing deposits of fauna and flora. They are called jageyes and their function is essential in dry
forests and arid plains: to be deposits of rain during the winter to serve as sources of water during
droughts. The cattle and wild animals drink the water from it; reptiles and predators hunt there;
amphibians, birds, crustaceans, fish and insects take refuge in it; and eggs of hundreds of species are
protected between its clay and organic matter. About 10 years ago the construction of jageyes for
communities which had high deforestation and low rainfall levels began. Since then, many have been
built mainly in the municipalities of Natagaima, Coyaima and Ortega. Jageyes are the oasis of the
present and future life.

50 | 51

El tesoro escondido

Honda es un paso obligado para aquellos que se desplazan

desde Bogot hasta Manizales, Medelln y la Costa Atlntica. El flujo
constante de buses, camiones, vehculos particulares, las decenas de
restaurantes y vendedores ambulantes, el calor, que puede pasar de
los 30 grados, le han creado una imagen de congestin constante. Pero
quienes lo conocen, quienes han hecho un pequeo giro en su auto para
adentrarse en el corazn del pueblo, descubren lo contrario.

Fundado en 1560, este municipio del Tolima sorprende con su

arquitectura colonial, con su calle de Las Trampas llena de callejones y
escalas empedradas, con sus iglesias de piedra, su plaza de mercado con
columnas que asemejan las del Partenn, con sus balcones de madera,
coloridos y seoriales, y con sus cerca de 25 puentes, todos diferentes,
que comunican unos barrios con otros, un departamento con otro.
Atravesada por el ro Gual, que desemboca en el Magdalena, Honda
es un tesoro escondido, pero a la vista de todos. Monumento Histrico
Nacional, es tambin conocida como La Ciudad de los Puentes. Entre
ellos se destacan el de Los Enamorados, que tiene bancas a lado y
lado para que las parejas disfruten, especialmente de los tranquilos
anocheceres; est el que comunica a Tolima con Puerto Bogot, y est,
entre otros, el puente Navarro, de hierro y madera, construido en 1898,
considerado como el ms antiguo de Amrica y que fue fundamental
para vencer los obstculos al transporte de carretera que impona en
esta zona la rpida corriente del gran ro de La Magdalena.

The Hidden
Treasure
Honda is a must for those going from Bogota to
Manizales, Medellin and the Atlantic Coast. The constant stream of
buses, trucks and private vehicles, dozens of restaurants and street
vendors, and the heat which can rise to 300 C, and more, have created
an image of permanent hustle with respect to Honda. But those who
have visited it, who have made a little turn to enter into the heart of the
town, have discovered the opposite.
Founded in 1560, this municipality of Tolima surprises with its colonial
architecture; its street called Las Trampas that is filled with cobbled

alleys and steps; its stone churches; its market square that has
columns resembling those of the Parthenon; its wooden, colorful and
stately balconies; and with its nearly 25 bridges, all different, which
communicate different neighborhoods and departments.
Crossed by the Gual River that flows into the Magdalena River, Honda
is a hidden treasure that stands in the view of all. It is a national
historic landmark also known as the city of bridges, among which a
few stand out: first of all the one called Los Enamorados (The Lovers),
which has benches on both sides designed especially for couples to
enjoy the quiet sunsets; then, there is the bridge that communicates
de Department of Tolima with Puerto Bogot; and also, among others
is the puente Navarro bridge, made of iron and wood, built in 1898
and considered the oldest in America, which was fundamental for
overcoming the road transportation obstacles that were being faced
in the area, imposed by the swift current of the great Ro de La
Magdalena.

56 | 57

Nufragos en tierra firme

Su casita se levanta sobre un peasco, justo donde la verdosa quebrada
Yucup desemboca en la represa de Prado. A su alrededor no hay ms
que riscos, agua y ms agua. Hasta no hace mucho vivieron cuatro horas
ms lejos, en el nacimiento de la quebrada. Pero pensando en ahorrarle
horas de camino hasta el colegio a Ronaldinho y Jessica Lorena, Salom
Lugo y Jos Molina decidieron trasladarse a la desembocadura. Y aunque
no hay ni luz ni acueducto, tienen un hogar con dos canoas, un motor
pequeo, tres perros, un loro sin nombre, flores y plantas, silencio en
el da y viento en las noches. Viven de la pesca de mojarras, que van
guardando en una jaula subacutica hasta completar la caneca, por la
que les pagan 20 mil pesos en el puerto. A lo ltimo uno se ensea y
vive como bueno, asegura Salom, desperezndose despus de una
siesta. En el mirador su hija lee El Quijote. Abajo, su hijo juega en el
agua. En el pueblo, su esposo hace diligencias.

Shipwrecks on Dry Land

Her little house stands on a cliff right where the green stream Yucup flows
into the El Prado Dam. There are only crags, water and more water all
around. Until recently, she and her family used to live four hours up into the
mountains, in the river source, but trying to save Ronaldinho and Jessica
Lorena hours of walk to school, Salom Lugo and Jos Molina decided to move
to the river mouth. And although there is no electricity or water supply, they
have a home with two canoes, a small motor, three dogs, a nameless parrot,
flowers and plants; silence during the day and wind at night. They make a
living out of fishing and selling bluegill (Mojarra) which they usually save in
an underwater cage until a can is filled up. They sell it for cop $20,000 at the
Port. With time one gets used to it and lives just fine, assures Salome as
she stretches out after her nap. At the scenic viewpoint, her daughter reads
the Don Quixote. Below, her child plays in the water. Her husband is in town
running errands.

58 | 59

Para que el agua fluya

Mientras recorre los predios de su finca La Esmeralda, en la vereda El Tostado, Arqumedes

Cmbita, o don Chepe, como mejor lo conocen sus amigos, se declara orgulloso y satisfecho
de poder hacer parte del programa de reforestacin impulsado por AngloGold Ashanti
Colombia, con el que hoy no solo es propietario de 700 rboles en proceso de crecimiento,
sino que tiene la oportunidad de poner su grano de arena en la proteccin del recurso hdrico.
Don Chepe reconoce las bondades del plan, que comenz en el 2008, pues sin tener que
invertir nada diferente a su compromiso y mano de obra, ha podido aprovechar espacios
dentro de su propiedad que se encontraban subutilizados e invadidos por la maleza. Me
siento agradecido, porque esta arborizacin es beneficiosa y muy importante. Algunas
personas acaban con todos los rboles que tienen cerca de las caadas, hasta que terminan
por secarlas. Los rboles son la vida del campo y necesitamos de ellos porque ah es donde
est el agua, asegura este reforestador voluntario, quien se ha convertido en multiplicador
del programa entre sus vecinos y conocidos.
El programa de reforestacin se adelanta principalmente sobre las cuencas de ros y quebradas,

Las cifras del programa de reforestacin: 140 propietarios vinculados;

26 veredas beneficiadas; 14 tipos de especies diferentes sembradas;
29 hectreas de especies nativas sembradas.

y su principal objetivo es la conservacin del recurso hdrico. Hoy, cerca de 140 los propietarios
de predios se benefician de la reforestacin, y se han sembrado alrededor de 29 hectreas.

The water flow

As he walks around the grounds of his farm La Esmeralda, located in the rural district of El
Tostado, Mr. Arqumedes Cmbita, or Don Chepe as he is best know by his friends, declares
to be proud and satisfied to be part of the reforestation program that is promoted by Anglogold
Ashanti Colombia, through which today he not only owns 700 trees which are in the growth
process, but also has the opportunity to contribute to the protection of water resources.
Don Chepe recognizes the benefits of the Plan, which began in 2008. Even then having
anything to invest other than his commitment and work, he has been able to take advantage
of spaces inside his property which were being underused and invaded by weeds.
I am grateful because this reforestation is beneficial and very important. Some people end up
with all the trees that are near streams until they end up drying them up. Trees are the life of
the fields and we need them because thats where the water is, said the voluneer reforester
who has become a multiplier of the program among his neighbors and acquaintances.

Figures of the reforestation program: 140 owners involved;

26 rural districts benefited; 14 types of different species
planted; 29 hectares of native species planted.

The reforestation program is being executed mainly on the basins of rivers and streams,
and its main objective is the conservation of water resources. Today, about 140 land owners
benefit from the reforestation and have planted about 29 hectares.

60 | 61

Cruzando el can

El profundo can del ro Combeima est atravesado por cientos de

puentes de todas clases a distintas alturas. Uno de ellos cuelga endeble
entre la va principal y la finca El Roco. Lo conocen como puente Maca,
porque al cruzarlo su estrecha y larga extensin se tambalea como una
hamaca. Por aos fue propiedad privada, hasta que la costumbre lo hizo
pblico, gracias a los habitantes de las veredas vecinas, que comenzaron
a atravesarlo cotidianamente, ahorrndose por lo menos una hora de
camino. Pero una rencilla menor, provocada por un adolescente travieso
que se diverta robando naranjas, le ha puesto candado al puente, que
vaco sigue tambalendose sobre el revoltoso Combeima.

The deep canyon of the Combiema River is crossed by hundreds of bridges

of all kinds and different heights. One of them hangs weak between the

Crossing the Canyon

main road and the El Roco farm. It is known as the Maca Bridge (the
flaw bridge) because when its narrow and long extension is crossed, it
wobbles like a hammock. For years it was privately owned until it became
public when the inhabitants of neighboring rural districts began to
cross daily, saving at least an hour of travelling time. But as a result of a
minor quarrel provoked by a mischievous teenager who enjoyed stealing
oranges, the bridge has been padlocked, and it continues to sway empty,
over the fast-flowing Combeima River.
62 | 63

El silencio del camposanto

Trece de noviembre de 1985. La fecha se repite como una letana
en las miles de cruces sembradas en Armero. Ese da, en la madrugada,
la fuerza de la naturaleza se hizo sentir. Y el calor del fuego que tiene
en sus entraas el Nevado del Ruiz desprendi el hielo. Y convertido
en corriente de agua baj vertiginosa la montaa, una bola de nieve
que arras y acumul a su paso piedra, arena, rboles, todo lo que
encontr. El ro Lagunillas, que nace arriba, en el Parque Nacional de
Los Nevados, tambin le sirvi de canal. La segunda ciudad del Tolima
dorma a esa hora cuando la avalancha les lleg de golpe y los dej
indefensos en un mar de lodo. Cerca de 22 mil personas murieron.
Ahora, donde antes haba casas, calles, vida, est el camposanto ms
grande de Colombia. Y la sombra mortal tendi su velo, y una gota de
lodo moj el viento, y volc suavemente all su aliento, reza un poema
tallado en lo que fuera el parque principal de Armero. Cerca estn las
ruinas de lo que fuera la torre de la iglesia, est la cruz que bendijo el
papa Juan Pablo II en su visita a Colombia en 1986, y un monumento
largo y cilndrico, que evoca el antes y el despus de los armeritas.
Mausoleos, epitafios, cruces, paredes derruidas se ven a lo largo de este
camposanto, que con los aos se ha convertido en un jardn, pleno de
flores y de rboles gigantes. El lodo que cubri a un pueblo entero es
tierra frtil.

64 | 65

November 13, 1985. The date is repeated like a litany on

the thousands of crosses that are planted in Armero. On that
day, at dawn, the force of nature was felt. The heat of the
fire that has its core in the Nevado del Ruiz detached the ice,
which became a water current running vertiginously down
the mountain; a snowball that devastated and accumulated
stones, sand, trees and everything that was on its way. The
Lagunillas River, which has its source up in the Parque
Nacional Los Nevados, also served as a channel for the
avalanche. The second largest city of Tolima was asleep
at the time when the avalanche hit it and left the people
helpless in a sea of mud. About 22,000 people died.
In the place where there were houses, streets and life before,
now stands the largest cemetery of Colombia. Y la sombra
mortal tendi su velo, y una gota de lodo mojo el viento, y volc
suavemente all su aliento (And the shadow of death laid its
veil, and a drop of mud wet the wind and gently turned there
its breath), states a poem that is carved in what once was
the main park of Armero. Nearby are the ruins of what was
the church tower, a cross that was blessed by Pope John Paul
II during his visit to Colombia in 1986, and a long cylindrical
monument which evokes the before and after of the Armero
inhabitants. Mausoleums, epitaphs, crosses and walls in ruins
are seen along this cemetery which over the years has become
a garden full of flowers and giant trees. The mud that once
covered the whole town is now fertile ground.

The Silence of the Sacred Ground

66 | 67

El guardin de la laguna
Una maana lo vio llegar. Iba desnudo, pero su larga cabellera le cubra todo el
cuerpo. Cuando pas por su lado sinti un escalofro; sin embargo, le cobr. Oiga,
seor, la entrada vale mil pesos. El extrao sonri y sigui para sentarse en
la punta de la piedra ms grande de la laguna. Me fui detrs, volv a pedirle el
dinero, pero hizo como si no oyera, y en un parpadeo mo desapareci, se tir al
agua. Era el Mohn. Don Julio Rubiano no tiembla al contar que vio al mismsimo
diablo; al contrario, re y sigue narrando historias misteriosas, como la de aquellas
tres nias que arrastr un vendaval en Purificacin y ahora viven en el fondo de
la Laguna Encantada. Todos los Viernes Santos, a las nueve de la noche, salen
de all, y se ponen a jugar y cantar. Solo durante una hora. Nadie me cree, y yo
los reto para que vengan ese da y las vean. Pero es posible que nadie se atreva.
Profunda, misteriosa, silenciosa, pequea, encerrada entre altas paredes de
piedra, a la Laguna Encantada solo puede llegarse por laberintos de agua, los de
la represa de Prado. All, de noche, la oscuridad es absoluta, y por aos su nico
habitante ha sido don Julio, el dueo y guardin de la laguna, el que dice que
tiene noventa aos, que ha comido sancocho de gallinazo y que naci en la mitad
de ese charco.

The Guardian of The Lake

One morning he saw him coming. He was naked but his long hair covered all his
body. He shuddered as he saw him passing by, but he asked him for the payment
any way. Hey sir, ticket costs one thousand pesos. The stranger smiled and
continued to sit on the tip of the largest stone of the lake. I went after him and
asked again for the money, but he pretended not to have heard me, and in the blink
of an eye he disappeared. He jumped into the water. It was the Mohan. Mr. Julio
Rubiano does not shake as he tells how he saw the devil himself; on the contrary,
he laughs and continues narrating mysterious stories such as that of the three girls
which were dragged by a gale in Purificacin, and which now live at the bottom
of the Laguna Encantada. Every Good Friday at nine oclock at night, they go out
and start playing and singing just for an hour. Nobody believes me but I challenge
them to come and see them on that day. But possibly no one dares to go. Deep,
mysterious, quiet, small, enclosed by high stone walls, the Laguna Encantada can
only be reached going through water mazes, those of the El Prado Dam. There, at
night, darkness is absolute and for years its only inhabitant has been Don Julio, the
owner and guardian of the lake who claims to be ninety years old, to have eaten
black vulture stew, and to have been born in the middle of that pond.

68 | 69

Lo que embellece
al desierto es que
en alguna parte esconde
un pozo de agua.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery

What makes the

desert beautiful is that
somewhere it hides a well.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Work. Fishing, excavating, digging, planting,

watering, harvesting, feeding and transforming.

Along its way, the water is generous and supplies
us with its gifts.

Labores

Pescar, excavar, escarbar, sembrar, regar, cosechar, alimentar y transformar.

A su paso el agua es generosa y nos provee de sus dones.

Vivir del agua

camino real, sobre la cordillera y ms cerca de sus cumbres de nieves

perpetuas, prosperaron los Quimbayas, con otra lengua y otro tipo
de organizacin. Dos polos distintos de cultura y desarrollo que se
organizaron alrededor del maz, del que los arquelogos han encontrado
rastros tan antiguos que datan de 1610 a. C.
Solo la llegada del tabaco logr alterar la supremaca de este grano en

Primero el maz, luego el tabaco, posteriormente el caf

la regin. Para la segunda mitad del siglo XVIII, tabaco y oro se haban

y por ltimo el algodn y el arroz, han sido los frutos del encuentro

consolidado como los dos ejes de la economa colonial. El primero tena

entre tierra y agua en lo que hoy es Tolima. Por siglos los amplios

como centro a Ambalema, el segundo a Mariquita, y ambos a Honda

valles, las empinadas laderas y los tupidos bosques, localizados entre

como puerto de exportacin.

las cordilleras Central y Oriental, han sido despensa de numerosas

poblaciones. Y hoy, al igual que ayer, la razn sigue siendo la misma: el

Pero las guerras de independencia hicieron que la regin, al igual que

agua, abundante en sus distintos estados, nutriendo la tierra y la vida

el resto del continente, entrara en una fase de movimientos telricos

en todas sus formas.

polticos que aplazaron la importancia de los asuntos productivos. Solo

a mediados del siglo XIX la fertilidad sin lmites regresa con la bonanza

En Honda, el ro Gual se encuentra

con el Magdalena, haciendo de este
municipio uno de los principales
puertos fluviales del pas.

Desde mucho antes que los espaoles tocaran suelo continental, los

tabacalera ms grande del pas. A fin de proveer los vidos mercados

valles de los mltiples ros de esta regin sostenan a una multiplicidad

de Gran Bretaa y Alemania, principalmente, surgen en los valles

de grupos de lengua caribe, que posteriormente fueron cobijados bajo

haciendas productoras que hicieron famoso el tabaco tolimense en los

el nombre de Pijaos. Del otro lado, en lo que luego se convertira el

mercados europeos.

74 | 75

El agua es la madre de la via, la fuente

de la fecundidad y el tnico del mundo.

Del declive de esta bonanza aparecen el caf, primero, y el arroz y el

algodn, despus. La zona norte y montaosa del Tolima, alrededor
de los municipios de Lbano y Anzotegui y extendindose hasta

Charles Mackay

Cajamarca, se integra en el siglo XX a la gran regin conocida como

Eje Cafetero, siendo desde entonces el tercer productor cafetero
del pas. Dcadas despus, mediados del siglo, y ms hacia el sur,
despega el cultivo del arroz. La construccin de los distritos de
riego de los ros Saldaa, Coello y Recio logra alentar esta nueva
agroindustria, que desde entonces y hasta hoy ha tenido como centro
al municipio de El Espinal.
Por la misma poca y ligado al desarrollo de los canales de riego para
el arroz, el Gobierno Nacional impulsa una granja experimental que
termina siendo el ncleo impulsor de los cultivos de algodn. Con el
desaparecido municipio de Armero como centro, los tolimenses se
convierten en los expertos de este arbusto en el pas, apoyando con
sus migraciones temporales su despegue en otras regiones, como por
ejemplo en Cesar, en la costa caribe.

Por esta larga historia de vivir de la tierra y del agua es que en las

Tambin sabr del poder de la imaginacin para generar cambio

pginas que siguen encontrar una amplia gama de orientaciones

haciendo uso creativo del agua: un comerciante que abandon su

productivas. Desde la accidentada historia de la construccin del

vida citadina para cultivar flores, y ahora suea con regarlas ms

Ferrocarril Nacional en su tramo Tolima-Huila, con el que se estimul la

efectivamente desde el cielo; un maestro que sirve de gua en la

economa regional a niveles nunca antes vistos, hasta la actividad diaria

rehabilitacin de jvenes con problemas de adiccin y aspira a

con el agua hasta el cuello de los pescadores que en Honda trabajan en

profundizar el proceso con cultivos de peces; una comunidad de

los ros Gual y Magdalena.

creyentes que alimenta mojarras como salvando almas; un grupo

de ambientalistas y pobladores de veredas que apunta a recuperar

Se enterar tambin de la lucha a pleno sol de arroceros, areneros y

cuencas, y con ello transformar los modos tradicionales del uso del

barequeros. Los primeros haciendo crecer el grano que alimenta a

agua, y un pueblo de artesanos del barro que saben que el secreto est

Colombia, los segundos escarbando el revuelto ro Combeima para

en la mezcla armoniosa de todos los elementos vitales, agua y amor

sostener desde el agua las construcciones de tierra firme, y los ltimos

incluidos.

explotando artesanalmente los lechos de los ros Bermelln y Anaime

en busca de chispitas de oro y suerte.
Adems, conocer sobre el agua que sube, baja y recircula en el
proyecto La Colosa, dando vida a la exploracin minera, donde se
estudia en detalle si se podr o no desarrollar una mina.

76 | 77

Although Tolima does not have the largest area of rice crops in
Colombia, it is the department that produces most of this crop,
generating approximately 42% of the national total production

To Live by Water

range and closer to the perpetually snow-covered mountain tops,

prospered the Quimbayas, with another language and another type of
organization. Two different poles of culture and development which are
organized around the corn, traces of which archaeologists have found
traces dating as far back as 1610 BC.

First the corn, then the tobacco, later the coffee, and

Only the arrival of the tobacco was able to affect he supremacy of this

finally the cotton and rice, have been the fruit of the encounter between

grain in the region. During the second half of the 18th century,

the land and water in what is now Tolima. For centuries, broad valleys,

tobacco and gold were consolidated as the two axes of the colonial

steep slopes and dense forests located between the Central and Eastern

economy. The first was centered in Ambalema, the second in Mariquita,

mountain ranges have been the pantry of numerous populations. And

and both had Honda as their exportation port.

today, just as in the past, the reason for this remains the same: the
abundant water in its various states, which nourish the land and life in

But the wars of independence introduced the region, as well as the rest

all its forms.

of the Continent, into a phase of political upheavals which postponed

the importance of production issues. Only in the middle of the 19th

Long before the Spaniards arrived to the continent, the valleys of the

century, the fertility without limits returned with the countrys largest

various multiple rivers of this region held a wide range of Caribbean

tobacco bonanza. In order to supply mainly the needy markets of Great

speaking groups which were later called the Pijaos. On the other side,

Britain and Germany, the valleys emerged into production estates

in the area which would later become the real road, on the mountain

which made the Tolima tobacco famous in the European markets.

78 | 79

The finest workers in stone are not copper or

steel tools, but the gentle touches of air and
water working at their leisure with a liberal
allowance of time.
Henry David Thoreau

From the decline of this bonanza, the coffee appeared first and then the
rice and cotton. In the 20th century, the mountainous northern zone
of Tolima, around the municipalities of Lbano and Anzotegui, and
extending into Cajamarca, integrates into the region known as the Eje
Cafetero (Coffee-Growers Axis), being since then the countrys third
largest coffee producer. Decades later, in the middle of the century,
and further south, the rice cultivation started. The construction of the
irrigation districts of the Saldaa, Coello and Recio Rivers promoted
this new agro-industry, which has since then been centered in the
municipality of El Espinal.
Around the same time and linked to the development of rice irrigation
canals, the national government promoted an experimental farm
which ended up being the core promoter of cotton crops. With the
disappeared town of Armero as the center, the Tolima population
became the countrys experts in this crop, supporting, by means of
seasonal migrations, its dissemination into other regions such as the
Cesar in the Caribbean Coast.
The water supply system of Ibague, with a water inlet in the
rural district of Cay, receives its water from the Combeima
river, which transports about 4,000 liters per second.

Due to this long history of livelihood from the land and water, in the

You will also get to know the power of the imagination to generate

following pages you will find a wide range of productive orientations

creative change through the creative use of water: a merchant who

which range from the turbulent history of the National Railroad

left his city life to cultivate flowers and now dreams of watering them

construction at the Tolima-Huila stretch, through which the regional

more effectively from the sky; a teacher who works as guide for the

economy was stimulated to unprecedented levels, to the daily activity of

rehabilitation of young people with addiction problems aiming at

fishermen who work in Honda at the Guali and Magdalena Rivers with the

improving their process using fish farming, a community of believers

water up to their necks.

who feed Mojarras (bluegills) in the same way as souls are saved; a
group of environmentalists and residents of villages seek to restore that

You will also learn about the hard work under the sun of rice growers,

basins and thereby transforming the traditional uses of water; and a

sand workers and barequeros (gold seekers). The former ones

town of clay artisans who know the secret that lies in the harmonious

cultivating the crop that feeds Colombia, the second ones digging the

blend of all the vital elements - water and love included.

rough Combeima to support, from inside the water, the construction on

firm land; and the latter ones exploiting, by artisanal means, the beds
of the Bermelln and Anaime Rivers in search of tiny pieces of gold
(chispitas) and luck sparks.
You will also come to know a process where water goes up and down,
always recirculating. It is in La Colosa project, where and exploration
program takes place in order to study whether or not a gold mine will
be feasible.

80 | 81

Conectar la encumbrada capital de Bogot y el accidentado interior del pas con alguno de los dos mares ha sido la tarea obligatoria del desarrollo del pas. Y el
ferrocarril, con su fuerza a vapor, fue el medio ideal. Aunque en 1855 se inaugur el primero, el de Panam, el sueo de la interconexin continu truncado. Por
dcadas pugnas bipartidistas, contratos fallidos y errores tcnicos impidieron que los gobiernos provinciales lograran sus respectivas salidas al mar, como lo
determinaba la ley vigente. Finalmente, en 1892 una nueva legislacin autoriz el sistema de concesiones, y cada departamento, ms la empresa privada, pudo
concentrarse en trayectos especficos. El tramo Tolima-Huila, con el que se enlazaba a Bogot con el puerto pacfico de Buenaventura, se inici un ao despus, en
1893. Comenzaba en el puente de Girardot, se extenda hasta Ibagu y conclua en Neiva. Pero la Guerra de los Mil Das (1900-1903) interrumpi la obra, que solo
hasta 1905 alcanz Chicoral, en 1921 Ibagu y en 1937 Neiva. En este ltimo ramal estaba el obstculo mayor, el Magdalena mismo. Con un puente frreo a la
altura de Golondrinas, el tren finalmente se estir para superar las aguas, rebasar el ro, tocar el mar.

En tren al puerto

En los municipios de Saldaa,

Ambalema y Flandes todava
quedan vestigios de los rieles y
los puentes frreos del Ferrocarril
Nacional en su tramo Tolima-Huila.

In the municipalities of Saldaa,

Ambalema and Flandes there
are still vestiges of the rails and
ferrous bridges of the Tolima-Huila
stretch of the National Railroad.

Connecting the on the peak capital, Bogot, and the rugged interior of the country with one of the two oceans has been a mandatory task for the development of
the country, and the railway with its steam power was the ideal means. Although the first railway was inaugurated in 1855, the Panam Railway, the dream of
interconnection remained truncated. For decades, bipartisan conflicts, failed contracts and technical errors prevented provincial governments from achieving the
construction of their respective outlets to the sea as determined by the applicable law. Finally, in 1892, a new legislation authorized the concession system, and
each department, together with the private sector, was able to focus on the construction of specific routes. The construction of the Tolima-Huila stretch, which
linked up Bogota to the Buenaventura Pacific Port, began a year later in 1893. It started on the Girardot Bridge, extended to Ibagu and ended in Neiva. But the
Thousand Days War (1900-1903) interrupted the work, which reached Chicoral only until 1905, Ibagu in 1921 and Neiva in 1937. In the latter stretch was the
biggest obstacle: the Magdalena River itself. With a rail bridge at Golondrinas, railway tracks were finally expanded to go over the waters, beyond the river, and
touch the sea.

To the Port by Train

En uno de las principales intercambios viales de Ibagu,

sobre la Avenida del Ferrocarril, se conserva intacta
una de las locomotoras del antiguo Ferrocarril Nacional,
inaugurado en la ciudad en 1929.

In one of the main crossroads of Ibagu, on the Avenida

del Ferrocarril, one of the engines of the former National
Railway, inaugurated in 1929, remains intact.

82 | 83

Su pasado fue agitado, convulso. Drogadicto, satnico, Guillermo Orobio dice

His past was agitated and convulsed. Addict and satanic, William Orobio says that his

que su vida andaba tan mal que hasta vea extraterrestres. Pero conoci a Dios

life was so bad that he used to even see aliens. But he then came to know God and

y todo cambi. Le pidi perdn por lo que haba hecho y se prometi construir

everything changed. He asked God for forgiveness for what He had done and promised

una casa donde otros como l tuvieran cabida. En la vereda Cay, de Ibagu, fund

to build a house in which others like him could be accepted. In the village Cay, in Ibagu,

El Taller del Maestro, un centro de prevencin, restauracin y rehabilitacin

William founded The Taller del Maestro (The Masters Workshop), a center for the

para drogadictos e indigentes. All viven 31 muchachos que quieren cambiar

prevention, restoration and rehabilitation of drug addicts and homeless people. 31 young

su rumbo. Llegaron por su propia voluntad, y de la mano de la teo-teraputica

men who want to change the course of their lives live there. They arrived out of their

quieren construirse un futuro diferente, para cuando concluya su ao y medio de

own free will and with the help of the theo-therapy, they want to build a different future

rehabilitacin. Por eso tienen un proyecto microempresarial, que incluye criar

after their year and a half of rehabilitation. For this purpose they have a micro-enterprise

pollos, marranos y peces. El propsito es que el enorme jardn de la hermosa casa

project that includes the breeding of chickens, pigs and fish. Their objective is to

en la que viven tenga un jagey, para dar de beber a los marranos, y estanques

construct a jagey in the vast garden of the beautiful house in which they live in order to

llenos de mojarras. Un sabio proverbio chino dice: Regala un pescado a un

have enough water for the pigs and the ponds full of bluegills (Mojarras). A wise Chinese

hombre y le dars alimento para un da, ensale a pescar y lo alimentars por el

proverb declares, Give a man a fish and you will feed him for a day; teach a man to fish

resto de su vida.

and you will feed him for a lifetime.

El Taller del Maestro

The Masters Workshop

Subiendo a la vereda Cay, jvenes que buscan

rehabilitar su camino encuentran una nueva
oportunidad en el agua.

Climbing the rural district of Cay, young

people who seek to rehabilitate their lives find
a new opportunity in the water.

84 | 85

El signo del pez

Bajo un sol que no da tregua, Bladimir Castilla y sus compaeros alimentan las mojarras
rojas que crecen dentro de los mdulos a su cargo. En cada redondel sumergido en la
represa de Prado revolotean hambrientos unos 60 mil animales. Un fijo y un rotador deben
alimentarlos cada 20 minutos. Atrado por un compaero de la iglesia Pentecostal, a la que
l y muchos trabajadores de la pisccola pertenecen, Bladimir dej hace cuatro meses el
calor con brisa de su natal Valledupar, para vivir en un campamento y alimentar peces de
7 de la maana a 5 de la tarde. Calcula que al da los adultos se devoran unos 4 millones
de pesos diarios en cuido. A este ritmo voraz slo son necesarios cuatro meses de crianza.
Y aunque cada noche flotan peces muertos, el nivel de produccin se sostiene estable: a la
semana pescan entre seis y siete toneladas. Renacidos por el bautismo de agua y Espritu
Santo, los miembros de esta comunidad, como l llama a sus compaeros de barracas y de
Iglesia, regresan cada maana para continuar con este literal ejercicio de fe: entre el agua,
bajo el fuego, pescadores, hombres nuevos.

86 | 87

Under the Sign of Pisces

At the entrance of the municipality of Prado, fishermen of the rivers of Tolima have their own monument.

Under an unrelenting sun, Bladimir Castilla and his colleagues feed the red bluegills (Mojarras) that grow inside the modules that he manages. Inside each ring
that is submerged in the El Prado Dam, around 60,000 hungry fish hover around. A fixed and a rotator feeder must feed them every 20 minutes. Motivated by a
fellow member of the Pentecostal church, to which he and many other workers of the fish farm attend, Bladimir left four months ago the breezy heat of his native
Valledupar to live in a camp and feed fish from 7:00 in the morning to 5:00 in the afternoon. He estimates that adult fishes devour approximately 4 million pesos
per day in food. At this voracious rate, it only takes four months for breeding the fish, and although every night fishes float dead, the production level is held steady:
every week six to seven tons of fish are caught. The members of this community, born again through the baptism of water and the Holy Spirit, as he calls his work
and church fellow members, return every morning to continue this literal exercise of faith: inside the water, under the fire, fishermen, new men.

88 | 89

Hay arroz
Mientras espera que los fumigadores concluyan su recorrido
por entre los banderines blancos que los guan dentro del campo, el
conductor del tractor cuenta que una vez que el follaje est crecido, el
calor entre los surcos es tan insoportable que los trabajadores deben
descansar para hidratarse, cada hora y media. No todo mundo se le mide
al arroz, concluye bajo la sombra.
La humedad extrema entre la que crece el grano es precisamente lo que
le da la vida. La semilla no germina si el agua no la inunda. Ah es cuando
la labor del conductor del tractor se convierte en indispensable. Con
un lser instalado en la trompa del vehculo, traza los canales que con
posterioridad se inundarn en tres operaciones de riego distintas, durante
el primer mes despus de la siembra. Entre 90 y 120 das tarda el grano
en estar listo para la cosecha. Con una combinada, mquina recolectora, y
una tolva, carretilla gigante, el mismo conductor y un asistente cumplen
con la labor que antes de la mecanizacin requera de seis trabajadores.

90 | 91

De los 47 municipios del Tolima, 25 siembran oryza sativa, la misma

especie que alimenta a la mitad de la poblacin mundial, con unos 3.500
millones de consumidores alrededor del planeta. Tres son las reas
cultivadoras del departamento. La zona centro-sur, entre los municipios
de El Espinal, Purificacin y Saldaa; la zona de mesetas, alrededor de
Ibagu, y la zona norte, entre Ambalema y Lrida. Pese a no tener el
mayor nmero de hectreas sembradas, el departamento cuenta con el
nivel de produccin ms alto del pas, con un 42,6% del total nacional
durante el primer semestre del 2011.
El clculo de los expertos es que por hectrea sembrada en el Tolima
se gastan dos litros de agua por segundo y se cosechan 110 bultos en
promedio, los cuales representan alrededor de 660 mil millones de pesos
anuales. El clculo de la gente que all trabaja es que en una arrocera
mediana laboran unas 50 personas, mientras que una grande pueden ser
alrededor de mil. El clculo de los cocineros es que por cada taza de arroz
se necesitan dos de agua. Y todos acuerdan que la sal es al gusto.

There is Rice
As he waits for fumigators to complete their work
between the white flags that guide them inside the field, the tractor driver
recounts how, once the foliage is grown, the heat between the rows is so
unbearable that workers have to rest every hour and a half to re-hydrate.
Not everyone dares to work on rice fields, he concludes as he stands
under the shade.
The extreme humidity under which the grain grows is precisely what
gives it life. The seed does not germinate if the water does not flood the
crop. It is then when the tractor drivers work becomes mandatory. With
a laser device installed on the front of the vehicle, it traces the channels
that will subsequently be flooded in three different watering operations
during the first month after the seed is sowed. The grain takes between 90
to 120 days to be ready for harvest. With a combine harvester, a collecting
machine and a chute (a giant wheelbarrow), the driver himself and an
assistant do the work that before mechanization used to be carried out by
six workers.
Out of the 47 municipalities of Tolima, 25 cultivate oryza sativa (Asian
rice), the same species that feeds half the world population with
approximately 3.5 thousand million consumers around the globe. Three

92 | 93

areas of the department cultivate this crop: the southern-central zone

between the municipalities of Espinal, Purificacin and Saldaa; the
plateau zone around Ibagu; and the northern zone between Ambalema
and Lrida. Despite not having the greatest number of hectares sown,
the Department has the highest production level in the country, having
generated 42.6% of the total national production during the first semester
of 2011.

Experts calculate that on average, for every hectare that is sown in

Tolima, two liters of water per second are used and 110 sacks of rice are
harvested, which represents about 660 thousand million pesos per year.
The calculation of workers is that in a medium-sized rice growing area
work 50 people, while a large-sized holds approximately one thousand.
The calculation of the cooks is that for every cup of rice you need two of
water, and all agree that salt must be added to taste.

94 | 95

Regar la tierra
A diferencia del arroz secano, que se alimenta de lluvia y slo necesita de canales
de drenaje, el de riego, que es el que ms se siembra en el Tolima, requiere que
el agua lo bae por gravedad o por bombeo. Por eso en el departamento hay
cuatro distritos de riego: Asoprado, Usosaldaa, Usoguamo y Usocoello; cada una
conserva en el nombre el ro que lo alimenta. El distrito del ro Prado favorece
unas 4.600 hectreas al ao, el doble de extensin de la zona nutrida por el ro
Guamo, el cual riega a los arroceros del municipio del mismo nombre, unas 2 mil
hectreas anuales. Ms amplios son los canales del ro Saldaa, que abastecen 24
mil hectreas al ao, en las que operan unos 1.700 productores de los municipios
de Purificacin y Saldaa, ms o menos la misma capacidad del sistema del ro
Coello, que nutre a los arroceros del municipio de El Espinal, 22 mil hectreas de
arroz, que emplean 67 mil jornales.

Unlike the un-irrigated rice which is rain fed and only requires drainage
canals, the irrigated rice, which the most widely planted in Tolima,
requires irrigation by gravity or pump. Therefore, in the Department
of Tolima there are four irrigation districts: Asoprado, Usosaldaa,
Usoguamo and Usocoello, each having the name of the river that feeds
them. The rural district of the River Prado waters approximately 4,600
hectares of land per year, approximately twice the extension of the
area that is watered by the River Guamo, which irrigates rice farmers
in the Guamo Municipality (2,000 hectares per year). The canals of the
River Saldaa are larger and water 24,000 hectares per year, in which
approximately 1,700 producers of the municipalities of Purification and
Saldaa operate. The Coello river system has about the same capacity
as the latter, watering rice growers of the Espinal municipality: 22,000
hectares of rice, employing 67,000 paydays.

Watering the Land

96 | 97

Ni sus pies ni sus manos los delatan, pero la mayora de los habitantes del
barrio ibaguereo de La Vega son anfibios. Ubicados en un terreno bajo y llano
del can del ro Combeima, mucha de la gente de este sector vive la mitad de
su existencia hundida en el agua. A eso de las 5.30 de la maana comienzan
a llegar vestidos como para la playa. Hay quienes nacieron aqu, se hicieron
viejos aqu y levantaron sus hijos aqu, cuenta Ismael Marroqun, con ms
de 40 aos en el oficio. Trabajan en parejas, y cada una se ocupa de su propio
trincho, un sector de unos diez metros cuadrados claramente delimitado. All
introducen sus palas para sacarlas llenas de arena negra, gravilla, piedra comn
y piedra base, que luego ponen a secar en la orilla, clasifican y amontonan para
la industria de la construccin. En promedio ganan unos 20 mil pesos al da,
un poco ms si es temporada de lluvias y el ro baja ms cargado. Llamados
areneros, balastreros o gravilleros, estos seres anfibios contribuyen a sostener
firme la vida en tierra.

Sacar la piedra

Neither their feet nor their hands give them away, but most of the inhabitants
from the La Vega neighborhood of Ibagu are amphibians. Located in the lowlying and flat lands of the Combeima River Canyon, many of the people of this
sector live half of their lives sank deep in the water. At about 5:30 in the morning
they start to arrive dressed with beach clothes. Some were born here, grew
old here, and raised their children here, says Ismael Marroquin, who has been
working for more than 40 years in this kind of work. They work in pairs and each
pair takes care of their own trincho (a clearly delimited area of about 10 square
meters). There they introduce their shovels and then pull them out full of black
sand, fine gravel, common stone and base stone which then they lay out to dry,
sort out and stack up on the shore for the construction industry. They earn on
average about 20,000 pesos per day and a little more during the rainy season
when the river descends more loaded. These amphibious beings, usually called in
Spanish areneros, balastreros or gravilleros, contribute to the firm sustainment of
life on earth.

Dredging
98 | 99

Que baja
y que sube

Por lo general el agua cae en su estado lquido y sube

las necesidades del proyecto. Bajan hasta llegar a la zona central de La

en vapor. Pero en el Proyecto La Colosa la ingeniera y la creatividad la

Colosa. All, el recurso tomado de dichas fuentes naturales de agua (en

hacen subir y bajar, y circular todo el tiempo. Un sistema desarrollado con

promedio dos litros por segundo) se suma al agua lluvia (en promedio

talento propio, usa la gravedad para cumplir su misin. Son cuatro zonas

dos litros por segundo), recogida principalmente de los techos de los

de almacenamiento y 11 tanques con capacidad de 580 m , distribuidos

campamentos y dems construcciones.

por el Proyecto de exploracin La Colosa, que surten de agua campamentos

y plataformas. El proyecto cuenta con un total mximo de cuatro litros por

Desde la zona central, el agua viaja por manguera y es distribuida a

segundo autorizados, aunque el consumo neto es menor y se asemeja a lo

los puntos de perforacin y a los campamentos en todo el proyecto.

que consume una finca de recreo durante un fin de semana.

Al llegar al Ordeadero que tiene su nombre porque all se realizaba

el ordeo en la finca La Escalera, a 2.600 metros, hay que cambiar

Dos cadas de agua, una a 3.340 metros de altura y otra a 3.150 metros,

el curso natural. Aqu es donde la ingeniera cumple su funcin:

autorizadas como concesiones por Cortolima, abastecen una parte de

mediante bombeo el recurso sube nuevamente a la zona central.

Tambin el agua llega, por efecto de la gravedad y con la ayuda de la

El agua lluvia, sumada a la de las fuentes naturales (concesiones),

ingeniera, hasta La Vara, esa zona donde, en el 2006, se recogieron

suple la demanda operativa, lo necesario para las labores de

las primeras muestras que dieron vida al proyecto La Colosa. All hay

perforacin. Toda se recoge y circula por un sistema cerrado.

otra estacin de bombeo, que sube al Ordeadero, y tambin desde

Inclusive la que sobra de la perforacin que tambin recibe

all vuelve a bombearse a la zona de campamento, donde se recoge la

tratamiento regresa al sistema.

mayor cantidad de agua lluvia.

Se aprovecha cada gota del recurso: el agua circula y recircula, sube
El agua de una de las concesiones (fuente natural) suple la demanda

y baja, baja y sube, y se reutiliza toda. Es mnima el agua que se

domstica del proyecto, que cuenta con 800 trabajadores y contratistas

capta de las fuentes naturales y nunca es ms del caudal mnimo

al da, y entre 70 y 100 personas que viven en los campamentos. Esta

ecolgico para mantener el equilibrio natural. La Colosa es un

agua es tratada, para que sea potable tambin, con un sistema creado

proyecto modelo de ahorro y uso eficiente de este recurso. No se

por AngloGold Ashanti Colombia.

pierde ni una sola gota.

100 | 101

It Comes Down
and Then Goes Up

which provide water for camps and platforms. The project has a total
maximum authorized flow of 4 liters per second although the net
consumption is lower: it consumes about the same volume of water as a
recreational farm on a weekend.
Two waterfalls, one 3,340 meters high and the other 3,150 meters high,
authorized by Cortolima, they supply part of the project needs. They fall
down until they arrive to the central zone of La Colosa. At that point,

Water generally comes down in its liquid state and then goes

the resource that is taken from the above mentioned natural water

up as vapor. But in the La Colosa Project, engineering and creativity

sources (in average, 2 liters per second) is added to the rain water (in

makes it go up and down and circulate all the time.

average two liters per second) collected primarily from the roofs of
camps and other constructions.

It is a system developed with native talent: it uses gravity to accomplish

its objective. There are four storage zones with 11 tanks of 580 m3 all

From the central zone, the water travels through a hose and is

together, distributed around the La Colosa Exploration Project zone

distributed to the drilling points and to the camps of the whole project.

When it arrives to El Ordeadero, named as such because that was

make it drinkable through a system created by AngloGold Ashanti

the farms milking site, 2,600 meters high, it has to change its natural

Colombia.

course. It is there where engineering meets its function: through

pumping: the water goes up to the central zone.

The rainwater, added to that of the concessions, supplies the operations

demand: the necessary resource for the drilling work. All the water is

The water also arrives, through the effects of gravity and with the help

gathered and then circulates through a closed system. Even the water

of engineering, to La Vara a point lower in the mountain where the

that is left over from the drilling work circulates it receives proper

first samples that gave life to La Colosa Project, back in 2006, were

treatment on site, and then goes back to the system.

gathered. In that point there is antoher pumping station that takes the
water up to the Ordeadero and then pumps it again to the camp zone

Every drop of the resource is used: the water circulates and then

where most of the rain water is collected.

circulates again, it goes up, it goes down; it goes down and it goes up; and
it is reused throughout. The water that is taken from the natural sources

Water from the natural sources supplies fully the domestic demand

is minimal and it is never more than the minimum ecological flow, thus,

of the project, which has 800 employees and contractors per day and

enough to maintain the natural balance. La Colosa is a model project of

between 70 and 100 people living in camps. This water is treated to

savings and efficient use of this resource. Not even a drop is lost.

102 | 103

El milagro del barro

Chocolateras, pocillos, ollas, platos, ensaladeras,

cazuelas, vasijas y alcancas de forma de marrano. La
arcilla moldeada se convierte en artesanas, que son obras de arte a
los ojos de los extraos que visitaban La Chamba. Este pueblito, de
profundas races indgenas, se ha convertido en orgullo del Tolima y de
Colombia. Desde tiempos de los indgenas Pijaos, desde tatarabuelos y
bisabuelos, de abuelos a madres, de madres a hijos, de hijos a nietos,
por generaciones sus habitantes han vivido de moldear el barro para
convertirlo en joyas.

Desde su infancia, Mara del Carmen Mndez est moldeando con agua los tres tipos de arcilla que dan vida a las cermicas de La Chamba.

Junto con los sombreros vueltiaos de Crdoba y el caf del Quindo, las

hacen estas vasijas de barro. Los lleva a las minas donde se sacan las

artesanas de La Chamba representaron a Colombia en Expo Shanghi

tres arcillas necesarias arenosa, lisa y roja para crear esas piezas,

2010. Hasta all fue Luz Mariel Rodrguez, uno de los personajes

que se caracterizan por ser refractarias y por su color negro, el cual

ms emblemticos de este corregimiento del municipio del Guamo,

adquieren por medio de un proceso de ahumado con boiga.

y durante nueve das fue testigo de cmo gente de todo el mundo

admiraba su trabajo y el de sus colegas y coterrneos. Ella fue profesora

Desde nios, los padres lo involucran a uno en el oficio, cuenta

del colegio y tiene un almacn en esa calle larga que es La Chamba.

Mariel. Primero haciendo lo ms bsico, llevar y traer; luego

An dicta talleres para que los nios y los visitantes aprendan cmo se

coloreando con tintas rojas naturales algunas vasijas, y poco a poco

aprendiendo lo ms difcil, que es saber cortar, armar y moldear sin

irregularidades los diferentes objetos. El ltimo paso, que es quemar
y ahumar, s se le deja a los adultos, pues soportar el calor de los
hornos es labor de titanes. Luz Mariel dice conocer el secreto para que
las artesanas de La Chamba sean tan hermosas: Nosotros utilizamos
cinco elementos de la naturaleza. La tierra es la materia prima, con
el agua la moldeamos, con el aire la secamos, con el fuego la cocemos
para se haga fuerte. El quinto elemento es el amor que le ponemos.

106 | 107

Chocolate pots, cups, pots, plates, salad bowls, casseroles,

vases and pig-shaped piggy banks: molded clay is turned into
ceramics which are works of art in the eyes of strangers who visit La
Chamba. This village of deep indigenous roots has become the pride of the
Department of Tolima and Colombia. From the time of the Pijaos indigenous
group and for generations, its inhabitants have made a living of molding
the clay to convert it into jewels: from great-great-grandparents to greatgrandparents, from grandparents to mothers, from mothers to children and
from children to grandchildren.
Together with the vueltiaos hats (traditional Colombian hats with laps),
manufactured in Crdoba, and the coffee that is cultivated in the Department
of Quindo, the handicrafts of Chamba represented Colombia at the Expo
Shanghai 2010 exhibition, which was attended by Luz Mariel Rodrguez,
one of the most emblematic figures of this rural district, located in the
municipality of Guamo. For nine days, Luz Mariel witnessed how people
from all around the world admired her work and that of her colleagues and
countrymen. She was a schoolteacher and now has a shop on a long street
called La Chamba. She still gives workshops in which children and visitors
learn how these clay vessels are made. She takes them to the mines from
where three different types of clay are extracted (sandy, smooth and red
clay) to create these pieces, which are characterized for being refractory and
of black color (obtained through a smoking process with dung).
From our childhood, our parents get us involved in this occupation, says
Mariel. First we do what is most basic: taking and bringing things; then we
color some vessels with natural red inks and learn gradually what is more
difficult: to cut, assemble and shape objects without any irregularities. The
last step, which consists in burning and blackening, is left to adults since
enduring the heat of the furnaces is a mammoth task. Luz Mariel claims
to know the secret for guaranteeing beauty of the La Chamba handicrafts:
we use five elements of nature. The soil is the raw material, we mold it
with water, dry it with air, and burn it with fire to make it strong. The fifth
element is the love that we put into it.

The Teacher Luz Mariel Rodriguez has her workshop in the back shop of Manantial del Barro.

The Miracle of Clay

108 | 109

Las exticas
Julio Valderrama era un hombre de ciudad acostumbrado al smog, a
las calles repletas de gente y de carros. En Ibagu tena una fbrica de
muebles, pero su sueo era irse a vivir al campo, lejos del mundanal ruido.
Por eso, cuando tuvo la oportunidad, se compr una finca en las afueras de
la ciudad, camino al can del Combeima. Sus anteriores dueos tenan all
un cultivo de anturios. Y l decidi conservarlo. Aprendi todo lo que pudo
sobre estas flores exticas, que son originarias de los bosques lluviosos de
Latinoamrica y Centroamrica, y ahora trabaja para vivir de ellas. Esta
planta es muy resistente, pero como todas, necesita del agua. Cuando hay
verano, su cultivador las moja dos horas por la maana y dos horas por
la tarde. Para que nunca les falte el lquido vital, l est en proceso de
construir un jagey, que aproveche las aguas lluvias y permita mantener
siempre hidratadas a sus hijas, esas de color rojo, que son perfectas para
regalar en cumpleaos y fiestas de quinceaeras, y cuando en el lenguaje
de las flores se quiere decir te amo.

Exotic Flowers
Julio Valderrama was a city man used to the smog, and streets packed
with people and cars. He had a furniture factory in Ibagu but his
dream was to live in the country side away from the mundane noise.
That is why, when he had the opportunity, he bought a farm outside
the city on the way to the Combeima Canyon. The farms previous
owners had an anthurium plantation and Julio decided to keep it. He
learnt everything he could about these exotic flowers which are native
of the rainforests of Latin and Central America, and now he earns his
living from them. This plant is very resistant but like all others, it needs
water. During the summer they are watered two hours in the morning
and two hours in the afternoon. In order to prevent the lack of this vital
fluid, Julio is in process of building a jagey to take advantage of the
rain water and keep the anthuriums always hydrated. The red ones are
perfect for birthdays and sweet sixteen parties, and especially when
one wishes to say in the flower language, I love you.

110 | 111

La bocatoma

El ro Bermelln es afortunado. Antes de juntarse con el

Anaime para ser uno solo, el Coello, llegan hasta l las
aguas de la quebrada Chorros Blancos. Es su principal
afluente esta corriente, que nace en la vereda Bolvar y
es de vital importancia para el municipio, considerado la
despensa agrcola de Colombia: surte el acueducto del
80% de los habitantes de Cajamarca. La bocatoma est a
orillas de una enorme cascada. A lo lejos, cuando la va
que va hacia Armenia se acerca al pueblo, puede verse
esta serpiente blanca, que baja con furia desde la montaa.
Su presencia, su apariencia, la convierten en un atractivo
natural de la regin.

The Spring

The Bermelln River is fortunate. Before joining the River

Anaime to become one (the Coello River) the waters of
the Chorros Blancos stream flow into it. This current,
which rises at the Bolivar Village, is its main tributary
and of vital importance to Cajamarca, considered the
Breadbasket of Colombia since it supplies water to 80%
of the inhabitants of the municipality. Its water inlet is
located at the edge of a huge waterfall. In the distance,
where the road that goes to Armenia is approaching the
town, this white snake can be seen descending down the
mountain with fury. Its presence and appearance make it
a natural attraction of the region.
112 | 113

Chispitas de suerte
No tiene horario fijo, l es su propio jefe. Hoy, por ejemplo, lleg a las 9.30 de la maana y se ir a eso de las 3 de la tarde.
Entre llegada y salida Abelardo Torres, con una docena de hombres ms, escarba el lecho de los ros Bermelln y Anaime,
en busca de chispitas, escupitajos de oro que las corrientes desprenden y los barequeros mineros artesanales intentan
atrapar como pescador a su presa. Su atarraya es un cajn, un laberinto metlico que sirve de filtro para separar la arena
del posible oro. Su anzuelo es una batea de madera usada para decantar los residuos. Su canoa es un cambuche de plstico
en la orilla para refugiarse de la intemperie. Es un trabajo muy duro, pero como es de cuenta de uno, es muy hermoso.
No hay consistencia en lo que ganan, pero chispita por chispita van llenando los frascos, en los que juntan el gramo, por el
que les pagan 65 mil pesos. El oro lo quiero mucho porque de eso he vivido, y muestra una sonrisa coronada por cinco
dientes dorados que bajo el sol encandilan.

He doesnt have a fixed schedule, he is his own

boss. Today, for example, he arrived at 9:30 in
the morning and will leave around 3:00 in the
afternoon. Between arrival and departure, Abelardo
Torres, along with a dozen men, dig in the
Bermelln River bed looking for chispitas (sparks),
small pieces of gold that the currents remove and
that barequeros (artisan miners) try to catch in the
same way as fishermen try to fish their prey. His
fishnet is a box, a metal labyrinth that serves as a
filter to separate the sand from possible gold, and
his hook is a wooden, large and shallow bowl used
to decant residues. His canoe is a plastic cambuche
(hut) that stands on the shore for sheltering from
the bad weather. Its a very hard job, but since
it is ones own work, it is very beautiful. Their
earning is not consistent, but spark by spark they
fill their flasks in which they gather one gram for
which they receive 65,000 pesos. I love gold very
much because I have made my living from it, he
says as he shows a big smile filled with five golden
crowns which dazzle under the sun.

Sparks of Life
114 | 115

A comienzos de este ao don Leonel Mogolln, cultivador

residente de la vereda Pearanda, perteneciente a Ibagu, se embarc
en el viaje ms peculiar que haya hecho en su larga vida. Con un
asesor de la ONG con la que su comunidad trabaja, don Leonel se
subi por primera vez a un avin, para remontar la cordillera hasta
el departamento vecino del Cauca. Su objetivo era visitar una vereda
parecida a la suya, para investigar el proyecto de biodigestores que all
est en marcha. Con una bolsa en donde se recolectan excrementos
animales, don Leonel y su comunidad pretenden seguir el ejemplo de
sus vecinos del Cauca y generar gas para el consumo domstico y la
actividad agrcola.
Ideas innovadoras como esta son las que apoya AngloGold Ashanti
Colombia con su inversin adicional en conservacin. El plan es que
sean comunidades de base, y con organizaciones sin nimo de lucro,
las que investiguen y ejecuten proyectos piloto de mejoramiento de
la calidad y la eficiencia en el uso del agua. Hasta ahora al convenio
se le conoce como Cuenca Mayor del Ro Coello, pues es a lo largo de

Sombra y refugio

este caudal que se llevar a cabo en un comienzo. Pero el sueo es

expandirlo y hasta cambiarle de nombre. Entre los que se barajan est
Igu, palabra en lengua pijao que quiere decir raz de agua y bautiza
a un rbol cientficamente conocido como pseudosamanea guachapele,
el cual crece en bosques secos y es un gran protector del hbitat a su
alrededor.
El agua no es un tema ambiental, es social, explica Leonardo
Velsquez, coordinador del convenio entre AngloGold Ashanti Colombia
y el Fondo para la Accin Ambiental y la Niez, organizacin que
administra los dineros y coordina el trabajo local. Porque la idea
es que cada proyecto sea el resultado del intercambio de saberes y

116 | 117

experiencias entre comunidades, es decir, que sea un proceso social,

antes que tcnico, el cual genere transformaciones significativas en los
modos como cada grupo humano se relaciona con su entorno.
Hace dos aos AngloGold Ashanti Colombia busc el contacto con el
Fondo, y tras complejas negociaciones acordaron iniciar el convenio con
una inversin de 250 mil dlares. Despus de varias rondas de consulta
en los siete municipios que moja el ro Coello (Cajamarca, Rovira, Ibagu,
San Luis, Coello, El Espinal y Flandes), decidieron concentrarse en temas
de calidad y eficiencia. Despus de abrir convocatoria pblica y seleccionar
a los ms prometedores, se dio inicio a las visitas, durante las cuales, por
ejemplo, don Leonel viaj al Cauca. Con el referente claro y las necesidades
definidas, cada comunidad adapt la idea a su problemtica especfica.
Debido a la calidad de los proyectos, la empresa dobl el monto a una
inversin total de 716 millones de pesos, y as abarcarlos a todos.
Repartidos entre los municipios de Ibagu, Cajamarca y Rovira, los
diez proyectos piloto buscan reforestar cuencas, proteger nacimientos,
combinar piscicultura con hidropona, recolectar lluvias para sistemas
de riego areos, purificar aguas residuales y mejorar prcticas agrcolas.
Su ejecucin apenas comienza, y la meta es tener resultados concretos
para mediados del 2012, en los que adems de las mediciones tcnicas
se incluyan las percepciones y los testimonios de los involucrados. Y
si se concluye con la misma fuerza innovadora que llev a don Leonel
a volar sobre la cordillera, los coordinadores calculan que en un futuro
se podrn ampliar y hasta mezclar las ideas existentes. Como el mismo
Igu, que en tierras ridas provee sombra y refugio, y protege y alienta
la vida a su alrededor.

118 | 119

At the beginning of this year, Don Leonel Mogolln, a farmer

of the village called Penaranda, located in Ibagu, embarked on the
most peculiar journey he had ever done in his long life. Together with
a consultant of an NGO which his community works with, Don Leonel
travelled for the first time in an airplane to climb the mountain range
up to the neighboring department of Cauca. His objective was to visit
a village similar to his own in order to investigate the bio-digesters
project that is being implemented there. With a bag for collecting
animal excrements, Don Leonel and his community intend to follow
the example of their Cauca neighbors to produce gas for domestic
consumption and agricultural activity.
Innovative ideas like this are those which AngloGold Ashanti Colombia
supports through its additional investment in conservation. The plan is

Shade and Shelter

to make grassroots communities together with non-profit organizations

research and implement pilot projects which are aimed at improving
the quality and efficiency of the water use. So far, the agreement is
known as Cuenca Mayor del Rio Coello since it is developed initially
along the basin of this river, but the dream is to expand it and even
rename it. Among the names being considered is Igu, a word in the
Pijao language which means water root and the name of a tree that is
scientifically known as pseudosamanea guachapele, which grows in dry
forests and is a great protector of surrounding habitats.
Water is not an environmental but a social issue, explains Leonardo
Velasquez, Coordinator of the agreement that was signed between
AngloGold Ashanti Colombia and the Environmental Action and
Childhood Fund, an organization that manages the funds and
coordinates the local work. The objective is for each project to be
the result of the exchange of knowledge and experiences between

communities, that is, that it may be more of a social process than a

technical one which generates significant transformations in the ways
in which each human group relates to its environment.
Two years ago, AGA contacted the Fund, and after complex negotiations
they agreed to start with an investment of USD$250,000. After making
several surveys in the seven municipalities that are crossed by the
Coello River (Cajamarca, Rovira, Ibagu, San Luis, Coello, El Espinal
and Flandes), they decided to focus on issues related to quality and
efficiency. After opening a public call for applications and selecting the
most promising bidders, visits began in which, for example, Don Leonel
went to the Cauca Department. With a clearly defined contact person
and after identifying needs, each community has adapted the idea to
their specific problems. Due to the quality of projects, the Company
doubled the investment amount to a total of 716 million pesos in order
to include all of them.
Spread between the municipalities of Ibagu, Cajamarca and Rovira,
the ten pilot projects seek to reforest basins, protect water sources,
combine fish farming with hydroponic farming, collect rain for aerial
irrigation systems, purify residual waters and improve agricultural
practices. The projects have just started to be executed and the goal is
to have concrete results by mid-2012, which will include, in addition
to technical measurements, the perceptions and testimonies of the
participants. If these projects conclude with the same innovative force
that led Don Leonel to fly over the mountains, coordinators foresee that
in the future, projects could be extended and mixed up with existing
ideas, like the Igu which provides shade and refuge, protection and
encouragement for the life that is around arid lands.

122 | 123

La pesca de la vida
Son diez, son 20, son 30, 50, 60 depende del da y de la noche. Con anzuelo, con
atarraya, con congola una especie de cazamariposas para peces se les puede
ver hundidos hasta la cintura en las oscuras aguas del ro Magdalena, debajo del
gran puente que comunica a Honda, Tolima, con Puerto Bogot, Cundinamarca.
Una y mil veces tiran sus redes para atrapar al nicuro, al capaz, al bagre, al
bocachico, que al da siguiente estar en las plazas de mercado de la regin.
Juntos parecen un escuadrn, sincronizado y uniformado: gorra y camisas de
manga larga, que los protegen del sol inclemente y de los incisivos mosquitos. Es
en enero y en febrero, meses de subienda, en los que mejor les va. Es en tiempos
de invierno cuando tienen que trabajar ms duro para hacerse a un buen jornal.
No llevan la cuenta de cuntas veces extienden las redes para sacar un pez. Lo
hacen casi cada minuto, y solo muy pocas veces salen cargadas de peces. Cuando
lo logran, los meten con cuidado en una jaula de madera, que atada a una piedra
flota dentro del agua. As los peces permanecen vivos y podrn estar frescos a
la hora de venderlos. Duermen poco. Seis o siete horas en la maana, porque las
horas de la tarde y de la medianoche son las mejores para sacarse el botn que les
permita subsistir y seguir en la pesca de la vida.

Fishing for a living

There are 10, 20, 30, 50, 60 fishermendepending on the day or the night. With a
hook, a fishnet and a congola (a sort of butterfly net for fishing) they can be seen
sunk up to their waist in the dark waters of the Magdalena River, below the great
bridge that connects Honda, Tolima with Puerto Bogot, Cundinamarca. They
throw their nets a thousand times over to catch the nicuro (Pimelodus tachet),
capaz (Pimelodus grosskopfii) and bocachico (Prochilodus magdalenae), which
will be the next day in the market places of the region. Together they look like a
squad, synchronized and uniformed: hat and long sleeves to protect themselves
from the inclement sun and stinging mosquitoes. January and February are the
best months for them; months of upstream fish migration. In winter they have to
work harder to obtain a good earning. They do not keep record of how many times
they throw their nets to get some fish. They do it almost every minute and only
rarely the nets come up loaded. When they catch the fish, they put them carefully
inside a wooden cage which, tied to a stone, floats inside the water in order to
keep the fish alive and fresh until the time when they are sold. Fishermen do
not sleep very much, only six or seven hours in the morning because afternoons
and at midnight are the best times for taking out the loot that will enable them to
survive and continue fishing for a living.

124 | 125

El agua es el vehculo
de la naturaleza.
Leonardo Da Vinci

Water is the mother

of the vine, the nurse
and fountain of fecundity,
the adorner and refresher
of the world.
Charles Mackay

Recreation. Floating, pedaling, swimming, drinking,

eating, cooling down, traveling and contemplating. Along

its way, the water invites us to play, to laugh and to
rejoice in its vitality.

Ldicas

Flotar, pedalear, nadar, beber, comer, refrescar, viajar y contemplar.

A su paso el agua nos invita a jugar, a rer, a regocijarnos en su vitalidad.

Estar en el agua

El Tolima es un departamento en el que abundan los paseos de ollas, en

los que abunda la gente amante de los balnearios naturales. Y cmo no,
si por donde quiera que se vaya hay agua para pegarse un chapuzn,
sea en aguas empozadas, en cadas, en quebradas, en aguas de ro y en
aguas azufradas. Y es que el agua, adems de ser vital para la sed, para
la vida, es un gran escenario para la ldica, para jugar, para relajarse y
reconfortarse con el mundo.

Dios mo, haz que ya sea viernes para ir de parranda en

Son innumerables los balnearios naturales de esta regin, tantos que

Colombianita. El letrero est pintado en la parte de atrs de un

sera imposible mencionarlos todos. Pero baste con decir que si lo que

bus escalera que recorre las carreteras del Tolima. Con sus ventanas

se quiere es un bao medicinal en aguas azufradas, podra subir por

que son al mismo tiempo puertas, con sus amarillos, azules, rojos y su

todo el can del Combeima, para llegar hasta Termales El Rancho y ah

ambiente festivo caracterstico, esta chiva s que sabe a dnde es que a

relajarse con las aguas que salen de las entraas de fuego del Nevado

los tolimenses les gusta pasear.

del Tolima. O al otro extremo, por Lrida, por los lados del Ruiz, ir hasta
El Hervidero, un pozo azufrado que se esconde en el interior de ese

Pgina siguiente. Afiliados y

visitantes pueden disfrutar por igual
de las atracciones acuticas de
Piscilago en Melgar.

Llenos de familias, de grupos de amigos, con ollas amarradas arriba

nevado y que algunos llaman el Odo del Volcn. Curiosidad en dos

para que no se caigan, Colombianita y muchos buses ms se recorren

municipios distintos: en Alpujarra y Casabianca existen dos termales

el departamento buscando charcos, cascadas, ros y piscinas en las en

que tienen el mismo nombre, Aguas Calientes, y son considerados

un fin de semana uno puede remojarse los pies, refrescarse y hacer un

Bienes de Inters Departamental, junto con algunos cerros, cuevas,

poco el quite al calor caracterstico de la regin.

saltos y paisajes.

130 | 131

Los escultores ms finos de la piedra no son

ni el cobre ni el hierro, sino el suave tacto
del aire y del agua, trabajando a su antojo
con total libertad de tiempo.
Henry David Thoreau

Si lo que se quiere es ponerle el pecho y la espalda a una cada de agua,

dejarse masajear por ella como si estuviera en la ducha, las opciones
s que son muchas. Est La Cascada en la vereda que lleva su mismo
nombre, en el camino del Combeima; estn las siete hermosas cascadas
de Chical, en Payand; est la del Amor, en la represa de Prado,
en Surez las de la Peonoza, y la Lundey, en Alvarado, a menos de
una hora de Ibagu; las de Medina, en Mariquita, que son tres y son
sorprendentes, hasta para pegarse un clavado y para disfrutar luego
con una caminada por su sendero ecolgico. Son muchas ms, porque
casi que se puede afirmar que en cada uno de los 47 municipios del
Tolima hay una cascada, y s no la hay, si hay un charco, una laguna, una
quebrada, un ro para disfrutar, o en el caso de Chaparral, unas cuevas.
Las cuevas de Tulun estn en el municipio ms extenso del Tolima,
y el tercero ms poblado, luego de Ibagu y de El Espinal. Son tres
estas cuevas de Chaparral, que tienen entre su mayor atractivo su piso
de agua, el de la corrientosa quebrada Tulun, que circula por esos
laberintos de piedra. Cuevas tambin hay en Alvarado, en Lrida, en
Alpujarra, en Cunday y en Valle de San Juan.

En Venadillo, Rovira, El Espinal, Gualanday y otros ms abundan los

Las piscinas no solo son escenarios para el juego. Lo son tambin para

balnearios. All no hay que ponerse el vestido de bao de moda, ni estar

el deporte profesional. En la piscina olmpica de Ibagu se renen

en forma, ni tener un parasol y una silla desde la que se pueda ver al

quienes quieren aprender a nadar y tambin los que quieren dedicar su

que desfila. En estos balnearios populares la pinta es lo de menos, lo

vida a algn deporte acutico, como el nado de velocidad, el de clavados

importante es calmar el calor y disfrutar con estas maravillas naturales

y el waterpolo, deporte en el que Tolima es potencia nacional. Y es que

que son los ros y quebradas.

el agua es un elemento apto para ejercitarse el cuerpo, para mantenerlo

sano, para alejar el estrs, y eso es lo que buscan los amantes

Y aunque no sean naturales, y el hombre haya metido mano, dos sitios

del rafting, esa navegacin con remos sobre rpidos, que en este

emblemticos del turismo tolimense, la represa de HidroPrado y las

departamento se practica, especialmente en el caudaloso ro Sumapaz.

piscinas de Melgar. En la primera, adems de montar en lancha y hacer

deporte extremo, se puede disfrutar de la Chiva Natica, que con la

Y si lo que se quiere es ver el agua, pero no estar en ella, otro momento

misma pinta de los buses escaleras, navega por la represa de 9 a 5 de

de goce es el que proporciona ir a Curazao o a Reptilia. El primero

la tarde. El paseo incluye almuerzo, refrigerio, recorrido por los sitios

en Carmen de Apical, y el segundo en Melgar; son zoocriaderos de

ms representativos del sector y dos metidas al agua, con chaleco

reptiles. Babillas, caimanes, tortugas, animales de agua estn all, a la

salvavidas, por supuesto. Melgar, el paseadero por excelencia de los

vista, para el entretenimiento de todos. Otra opcin para disfrutar de

bogotanos, al que llegan para buscar el calor que no les proporciona el

los maravillosos paisajes del agua en el Tolima es subirse en los ferrys

fro de la sabana, est lleno de piscinas y centros recreacionales, con

de los municipios Ambalema y Surez, para navegar por el magnfico

sus respectivos toboganes y juegos de agua. Una experiencia que aman

ro Magdalena, con sus aguas serenas pero profundas, con sus aguas

las familias, y especialmente los nios.

oscuras pero llenas de peces, con sus aguas que llevan consigo el
pasado y el presente de Colombia.

132 | 133

In the Water

Tolima is a Department in which there are many paseos de olla

(traditional outings during holiday periods in which food is cooked
outdoors), in which many people like going to natural spas. And of
course they like it since everywhere you go there is water for a quick
swim, either in a well, waterfall, stream, river or thermal water. The fact
is that the water, in addition to being vital for quenching the thirst, it is
also essential for life; it is great for recreational and playing purposes,
Dios mo, haz que sea viernes para ir de parranda EN

for relaxing and taking comfort from the world.

Colombinita (Oh God, let it be Friday to be able to go partying

in Colombianita), says a notice that is painted on the back of a bus

There are countless natural spas in the region; so many that it would

escalera (or chiva a traditional Colombian bus) that travels on the roads

be impossible to list them all. If you just want a medicinal bath in

of Tolima. With its windows, which are doors at the same time, with its

thermal waters, you could climb the Combeima Canyon until you arrive

yellow, blue and red colors and its characteristic festive atmosphere,

to the Termales El Rancho springs where you can relax with the

this chiva really knows where the Tolima people like to ride for fun.

water that comes from the fire of the Nevado del Tolima (The Tolima
Snow-Covered Peak) core. Or you can go up to El Hervidero, on the

Filled with families and groups of friends; with pots tied up so that they

other extreme of the Department nearby Lerida. There you can find a

will not fall, the Colombianita and many more chivas travel around the

sulfurous well that is hidden inside the that snow-covered peak and

Department looking for pools, waterfalls, rivers and ponds in which you

which some call the Odo del Volcn (the vocanos ear). There is

can dip your feet, refresh yourself and run away from the heat that is

something curious in two different municipalities: In Alpujarra and

characteristic of the region.

Casabianca there are two thermal springs that have the same name,

134 | 135

I came like water, and like wind I go.

hour from Ibagu; or the Medina waterfalls located in Mariquita, three

amazing waterfalls into which you can even dive in and then enjoy a

Edward Fitzgerald

walk around its ecological trails. And there are many more waterfalls
because it can almost be said that in each of the 47 municipalities of
Tolima there is a waterfall; and if there is not one, there is a pool, pond,
a creek or a river to enjoy; or in the case of Chaparral, some caves.
The Tulun caves are located in the largest municipality of Tolima, and
the third most-populated one after Ibagu and El Espinal. The most
attractive aspect of these three Chaparral caves is its water floor. The
water enters from the currents of the Tulun stream that flows through
Aguas Calientes, which are considered Resources of Departmental

those stone labyrinths. There are also caves in Alvarado, Lrida,

Interest, along with some other hills, caves, waterfalls and landscapes.

Alpujarra, and Cunday and in the Valle de San Juan.

Now, if what you want is to enjoy a waterfall and let it massage you as

Spas are abundant in Venadillo, Rovira, El Espinal, Gualanday, and

though it was a shower, the options are really numerous. You can visit

others. There you do not have to wear a fashionable swimming suit,

the La Cascada waterfall of the village that bears its same name, located

be fit or have a parasol or a chair from which you can see those who

on the Combeima road; or the seven beautiful waterfalls of Chical in

parade up and down. In these popular spas, the looks have the least

Payand; or the Amor Cascade located in the Prado Dam; in Surez

importance. The important thing is to be able to calm down the heat

those of La Peonoza; and La Lundey located in Alvarado, less than an

and enjoy the natural wonders of these rivers and streams of Tolima.

And although they are not natural and man has been involved in their

that water is apt for exercising the body, to keep it healthy and to dispel

design, there are two landmarks of the Tolima tourism: the HidroPrado

stress; that is what those who love rafting seek, rowing on the rapids,

dam and the Melgar pools. In the HidroPrado dam, in addition to being

which people of this department practice especially in the river that is

able to ride in motorboats and doing extreme sports, you can enjoy La

full of currents: the Sumapaz.

Chiva Natica (the nautical chiva) which looks the same as the bus
escalera and sails along the dam from 9 in the morning to 5 in the

And if what you want is to see the water, but not to go in, another

afternoon. The tour includes lunch, refreshments, a trip around the

option is to go to Curazao or Reptilia. The former one is located in

most representative sites of the sector and two opportunities to get

Carmen de Apical, and the second one is in Melgar, with animal

into the water with a life jacket, of course. Melgar is, par excellence,

breeding places for reptiles. Alligators, caimans, turtles and water

the most popular recreational spot among the Bogota people, where

animals are there in the sight of all for their recreation. Another option

they arrive looking for the heat that they cannot find in the cold of the

to enjoy the wonderful water landscapes of Tolima is to climb the

savanna. It is full of pools and recreation centers with their respective

ferries of the municipalities of Surez and Ambalema to sail on the

slides and water games; an experience that families love, especially

magnificent Magdalena River, with its calm but deep waters, with its

children.

dark but filled-with-fish waters, with its waters that carry within the
past and present of Colombia.

The pools are not only used for games. They are also used for
professional sports. At the Olympic pool of Ibagu, those who want to
learn how to swim and those who want to dedicate their lives to aquatic
sports such as speed swimming, diving and water polo (a sport in
which Tolima has a national predominance) meet together. The fact is

136 | 137

La nica calle que tiene la

aldea El Briceo se puebla
de decenas de paseantes
los domingos. Llegan de
Ibagu, de El Espinal, de
Chicoral, con ganas de pasar
un buen rato a orillas del
Gualanday. Y en medio de
las discotecas, en las que
suena alto la msica bailable,
y de los piqueteaderos, que
ofrecen sancocho de gallina,
scar se rebusca la vida:
alquila neumticos para flotar
tranquilamente en las aguas
de ese ro, que es como una
larga y acogedora piscina
corrientosa. Tiene, con un
socio de la localidad, unos 40
de estos flotadores, rescatados
de llantas viejas. Disfrutarlos
todo el da vale cinco mil
pesos. Una hora, dos mil.
Los nios pagan la mitad, y
mientras los ve chapotear y
divertirse con el agua, l hace
cuentas y espera ms clientes.
A sus catorce aos debera
estar tambin all, jugando,
pero despus de aprender
a leer, a escribir y a sumar,
decidi que lo que le gusta es
trabajar.

El placer de flotar

On Sundays the only street

in the village El Briceo
is populated by dozens of
passers-by. They come from
Ibagu, El Espinal and Chicoral
wanting to have some fun
along the River Gualanday.
And in the midst of nightclubs
which play high-sounding
dancing music and typical
informal restaurants that offer
sancocho de gallina (Colombian
typical stew made with hen),
scar looks for a way to earn
his living: he rents tires to float
peacefully on the waters of
that river which is like a long,
cozy pool with currents. scar
has, along with a local partner,
about 40 of these lifesavers
which he has rescued from old
tires. To enjoy them for a whole
day costs 5.000 pesos, and for
one hour 2.000 pesos. Children
pay only half as much. As
he looks at them splashing
and playing with the water
he calculates how much he
is making and waits for more
customers. At his fourteen
years of age he should also be
playing, but after learning to
read, write and add, he decided
that what he likes is to work.

The Pleasure of Floating

138 | 139

Si algo reina en el Tolima es el calor. Mucho calor. Como lo canta su himno:

es sol que abraza. De las cuatro unidades fsicas del departamento, una de
ellas, el bosque seco tropical, ocupa alrededor del 43% de la superficie total.
La mayora de los tolimenses viven con temperaturas entre los 25 y los 35
grados centgrados, y un sol perpendicular que les tie la vida de brillo y
color. Debe ser por eso que por all en los aos 50 del siglo XIX Ibagu se
convirti en la sede de la primera fbrica colombiana de cerveza, y desde
entonces ha contado con unas diez compaas productoras de la fra bebida.
Seguramente por eso en el municipio de Mariquita sigue vigente la industria
de gaseosas ms emblemtica de la regin, famosa por su deliciosa crema-

Sol que abraza

soda, que se vende helada en cualquier tienda. Y sin duda por eso uno de
los negocios callejeros ms populares para calmar los calores del Tolima
sigue siendo el de bebidas: jugos naturales, avena, salpicn de frutas y
mandarinazos repletos de troncos de hielo.

Sun that Embraces

If there is something that reigns in Tolima, that is the heat. It is very hot.
As the words of its anthem say, Tolima has a sun that embraces. One of
the four physical units of the Department, the tropical dry forest, occupies
about 43% of its total area. Most of the residents of Tolima live under
temperatures that range between 25 and 35 degrees Celcius, and under
a perpendicular sun that brightens and colors their lives. That must be
the reason why in the 1850s, Ibagu became the headquarters of the first
Colombian beer factory, and since then it has housed ten new companies
that produce the cold drink. Thats surely why in the Municipality of
Mariquita continues the most emblematic soft drink industry of the
region, famous for its delicious cream-soda that is sold frozen in any
store. And there is no doubt that is why some of the most popular street
businesses are the ones where drinks are sold such as natural juices, oat
drinks, drinks with pieces of fruit and mandarinazos full of ice chunks.

140 | 141

Velocpedos

los velocpedos se deben hidratar antes, durante y despus. La cantidad

depende de la masa corporal del practicante; sin embargo, en promedio
se aconseja tomar un poco menos de medio litro antes de comenzar, un
litro cada hora durante el ejercicio, es decir, un vaso cada 5-10 minutos,
y bebidas y alimentos slidos al gusto al concluir. El mejor hidratante es
el agua fra, nunca helada, pero en caso de gran sudoracin, las bebidas
deportivas con sales minerales son la mejor opcin, as como las frutas,

Entre los especmenes ms necesitados de agua, de

como bananos y ctricos.

la diversidad tolimense, no hay uno tan ubicuo y vigoroso como el

velocpedo. Se le puede encontrar descendiendo por curvas cerradas,

De los muchos trayectos, tres clases se destacan. Entre los de montaa

bordeando ros, o ascendiendo por empinadas cuestas, buscando las

sobresale la ruta que comienza en la entrada del Parque de los Nevados,

cumbres. Livianos y delgados, gruesos y de mayor traccin, las bicicletas

pasa por Murillo y concluye en el Lbano, 69 kilmetros de dificultad

y sus ciclistas tienen en el Tolima un escenario ideal.

extrema. Entre los recreativos se distinguen la ciclorruta de la variante

Picalea, 22 kilmetros planos por senderos pavimentados y sealizados

Aunque gente de todas las edades practica las cuatro modalidades que

para toda la familia, y la ciclova de los domingos, sobre la avenida

en el Tolima se cultivan de ruta, de montaa, recreativa y bicicrs, a

del Ferrocarril en Ibagu. Y para los profesionales de la ruta, la Vuelta

todos los unifica una exigencia vital: la hidratacin. La transpiracin y la

al Tolima es la ms prestigiosa, con participacin de corredores de

exhalacin de aire son las principales causantes de deshidratacin entre

todo el pas y extranjeros, quienes en la ltima versin sumaron 211

los ciclistas. Una prdida de lquidos de tan solo el 2% del peso puede

participantes, que recorrieron cuatro etapas ms un prlogo, de 583

reducir el rendimiento y la capacidad en un 20%. Por ello, los amantes de

kilmetros totales.

142 | 143

Velocipedes
Among the specimens in need of water, out of the Tolima diverse
creatures, there is not one as vigorous and ubiquitous as the velocipede.
It can be found descending on closed curves, bordering rivers or climbing
steep hills, looking for mountain peaks. Lightweight and thin, thick and
with greater traction, bicycles and their riders find in Tolima an ideal
scenario for their activity.
Although people of all ages practice the four bicycle-riding modalities that
are common in Tolima (road racing, mountain, recreational and bicycle
motocross), all of them are unified by a vital requirement: hydration. The
perspiration and exhalation of air are the main causes of dehydration
among cyclists. A fluid loss of only 2% of the body weight can reduce the
performance and capacity of cyclists by 20%. For this reason, those who
love cycling must hydrate before, during and after practicing the sport. The
amount of water intake depends on the cyclist. However, it is advised to
take in average a little less than a litter of liquid before starting, one liter
per hour during exercise (that is, one glass every 5-10 minutes), and drinks
and solid food to taste at the end. The best hydration source is cold water,
never freezing, but in case of heavy sweating, sports drinks with mineral
salts are the best choice as well as bananas and citric fruits.
Of the many routes, three types stand out: From the mountain modality,
the one that starts at the entrance of the Parque de los Nevados, passes
through Murillo and ends in Lbano: 69 kilometers of extreme difficulty. In
the recreational modality, the cycle route of the Picalea turnoff stands out:
22 km of flat, paved and marked trails for the whole family, and the bike
path which is opened on Sundays on the Avenida Ferrocarril in Ibagu.
And for professional modality, the Tolima Tour (Vuelta al Tolima) is the
most prestigious one, which includes the participation of cyclists from all
the country and around the world, who in the last version added up to 211
participants who ran four stages plus a prologue of 583 total kilometers.

144 | 145

Las siete cascadas

Desde cachorrita le falta una pata. Pero eso no le impide correr con los dems perros por toda
la finca Chical. Le dicen La Chunca a esta perrita negra y mansa, que es capaz de cruzar la
quebrada sin caerse, sin que se la lleve la corriente. Don Agustn la cuida, al igual que a las
siete cascadas de la quebrada El Salto. Verlas es un espectculo para los ojos. Caen, una a
una, sobre piedra lisa y forman pozos que se llenan los fines de semana de turistas de Ibagu
y poblaciones cercanas, a pesar de que a ellas se llega por una carretera en psimo estado.
Conocidas como las cascadas de Chical, son el principal atractivo turstico de Payand,
corregimiento del municipio de San Luis. Don Agustn vive por all desde hace 45 aos, pero
slo hace doce supo que en sus terrenos se esconda ese paraso natural. Fue un grupo de
boy scouts el que las descubri. Regaron el cuento, y poco a poco llegaron los curiosos. En un
momento fueron tantos, que se hizo necesario poner condiciones: estn prohibidas las fogatas,
el licor, arrojar basura, llevar animales, hacer camping, medidas extremas pero necesarias
para que no se agote este hermoso tesoro.

The Seven Waterfalls

Since she was a puppy, she was missing a leg. But that does not stop her from running with
the other dogs all around the Chical farm. People call her La Chunca. It is a black and docile
dog capable of crossing the creek without falling and being taken away by the current. Don
Agustin takes care of her as well as of the seven waterfalls of the El Salto stream. To see them
is a spectacle for the eye. One by one, they fall over the smooth stone forming wells that are
filled on weekends by tourists who come from Ibagu and nearby villages, even though to
reach them, people have to use a road in a terribly bad condition. Known as the Cascadas de
Chical (Chical Waterfalls), they are the main touristic attraction of Payand, rural district of
the Municipality of San Luis. Don Agustn has been living there for approximately 45 years,
but only 12 years ago he came to know that his land hid such a natural paradise. They were
discovered by a group of boy scouts. They spread the story and gradually, one by one, came
those who were curious. At one point they were so many visitors that it became necessary
to put some conditions: fires are prohibited as well as liquor, littering, taking animals and
camping some extreme but necessary measures to keep this beautiful treasure.

146 | 147

The Dancing Fountain

A trumpet player, a guitarist, a violinist, a bongo player, a flutist and a drummer; six musical
instruments and six performers. Some are sitting down, others standing and one laying down,
they are always present in the Music Park, a scenario for concerts, plays and shows. Located
in the heart of Ibagu, this is also the meeting point for hundreds of young people who go
there to have a good time, talk, smoke, fall in love and jump on a skateboard. Next to it is
one of the most beautiful buildings of Tolima: the Conservatory and its Alberto Castilla Hall,
founded in 1934, a historical and architectural heritage of the Department and one of the best
concert halls in Latin America. Its yellow and red faade frames beautifully the park paved
with reddish-grayish cobblestone. As a witness of it all there is one more character in the
center: the fountain. Every day at six oclock in the afternoon, it automatically turns on and its
illuminated water jets start to dance at the rhythm of the night.

Trompetista, guitarrista, violinista, bonguero, flautista, tamborero. Seis instrumentos

musicales, seis intrpretes. Algunos sentados, otros de pie, uno acostado, ellos estn
siempre presentes en el parque de la Msica, escenario de conciertos, de obras de teatro, de
espectculos. En pleno centro de Ibagu, ste es tambin el punto de encuentro de cientos
de jvenes que van all a pasar un buen rato, a conversar, a fumar, a enamorarse, a saltar en
patineta. A su lado est uno de los edificios ms bellos del Tolima: el Conservatorio, y su saln
Alberto Castilla, fundado en 1934, patrimonio histrico y arquitectnico del departamento
y una de las mejores salas de conciertos de Amrica Latina. Su fachada amarilla con rojo
enmarca bellamente el parque de adoqun rojizo y grisceo. Como testigo de todo, como un
personaje ms, en la mitad est la fuente. Todos los das, a las seis de la tarde, ella se enciende
en forma automtica, y sus chorros de agua iluminada comienzan a bailar al son de la noche.

La fuente bailarina
148 | 149

El cruce del ferry

Cuando llegas a Ambalema quedas mudo. Es como viajar

en el tnel del tiempo. Con 384 aos de existencia, fue declarado
Monumento Histrico Nacional. Sus viejas casas pintadas de blanco y
verde, sus cientos de columnas de madera, sus calles bien trazadas, su
arquitectura que evoca momentos gloriosos, te dan la sensacin de estar
caminando por un museo vivo, en el que sobresalen construcciones
plenas de historia.

150 | 151

La fbrica de tabaco, construida en 1916 y que ahora es una escuela

El malecn a orillas del ro es romntico. Una vieja carrilera del extinto

llena de juventud; la estacin del ferrocarril, gloria del Tolima; la casa

ferrocarril avanza paralelo, y debajo de los almendros, mangos y acacias

inglesa, en la que funcion la administracin de la tabacalera; el puente

se ve a la gente conversando, mientras toman cerveza o algn refresco

de calicanto, hecho de piedras que se juntaban con unos pegantes

para mitigar el fuerte calor. En el ambiente suena un vallenato, una

mezclados con sangre de res; la casona marcada con el nmero 254,

cancin tropical, y el viento no deja de soplar, arrastrando consigo

en la que funcion primero un banco y luego el hospicio, y ahora est

millones y millones de granitos de arena. En la ribera estn las lanchas

deshabitada, y a estas y otras joyas del pasadose suma el ferry, que

y sus conductores, esperando pasajeros. En el horizonte se ve al ferry,

se resiste a morir y a diario cruza el gran ro Magdalena para unir a

pintado de verde y blanco, cargado de carros y ondeando con orgullo la

Tolima con Cundinamarca.

bandera colombiana, con sus brillantes amarillo, azul y rojo.

El ferry de Ambalema se llama Omayra, en homenaje a aquella nia que

muri en la avalancha de Armero en 1985 y se convirti en smbolo de
la tragedia. Cinco minutos bajando por el ro y doce subiendo es lo que
demora para ir y venir entre Ambalema y el puerto por el que se llega
a las poblaciones de Beltrn y San Juan de Rioseco, en Cundinamarca.
En l cruzan las motos y todo tipo de carros. Cuenta Jorge Alberto, su

Toma consejo en el vino,

pero decide despus con agua.

conductor, que incluso ha llegado a montarle tres volquetas vacas, y ha

navegado sin problemas. Los vehculos deben pagar por el transporte, los
pasajeros no. Muchos turistas han convertido este cruce en un paseo, y
llegan hasta all para vivir la experiencia de viajar por el ro del tiempo.

Benjamin Franklin
152 | 153

Crossing
Ambalema Ferry

When you arrive to Ambalema youre left speechless. It is like

traveling back in time. With 384 years of existence, it was declared a
National Historic Landmark. Its old houses painted white and green,
its hundreds of wooden columns, its well-planned streets and its
architecture that evokes glorious moments give you the sensation of
walking through a living museum in which constructions that are full of
history standout.
You can find the tobacco factory built in 1916, which is today a school full
of young people; the railway station, glory of Tolima; the English house
in which the tobacco industry administration office used to operate; the
masonry bridge made of stones that were stuck together using glues

mixed with beef blood; the big house marked with No. 254 in which the
first bank operated, then the hospice, and is currently uninhabited; and
among these and many other jewels of the past, is the ferry that refuses
to die and every day crosses the great Magdalena River to unite the
Tolima with the Cundinamarca Department.
The breakwater located along the river is romantic. An old railroad
track of the extinct railway lays parallel, and under the almond, mango
and acacias trees, people can be seen as they talk and drink a beer or a
soft drink to mitigate the intense heat. In the air a vallenato (a tropical
song) can be heard, and the wind does not stop blowing and dragging
millions and millions of sand grains. Motorboats and their drivers wait
for passengers on the river banks. On the horizon the ferry can be seen,
painted green and white, loaded with cars and waving proudly the
Colombian flag with its bright yellow, blue and red colors.

The Ambalena Ferry is called Omayra in honor of the girl who died in
the avalanche of Armero in 1985 and became a symbol of the tragedy.
It takes 5 minutes to go down and 12 minutes to go up the river in the
ferry that connects Ambalema with the Port through which the towns
of Beltran and San Juan de Rio Seco in Cundinamarca can be reached.
Bikes and all types of cars cross in the ferry. Jorge Alberto, its driver, says
that the ferry has transported up to three empty dump trucks smoothly.
Vehicles must pay for the transportation, passengers dont. Many tourists
have converted this crossing into an outing and arrive there to live the
experience of traveling through the river of time.

156 | 157

Gallinas por galn

Hens per gallon

El clculo no es exacto, pues el ojo y la intuicin de las cocineras son los factores

The calculation is not exact because the eye and intuition of the cooks are the factors

que deciden la cantidad precisa de agua que una docena de gallinas criollas

that determine the exact amount of water that a dozen of native hens need to be

necesita para sancocharse en su punto. El agua es clave en dos momentos: para

cooked perfectly. Water is the key in two of its stages: to pluck the hens once they are

desplumar la gallina una vez que ha sido sacrificada, y para cocinarla durante

killed, and to cook them for a period of three hours after they have been marinated

tres horas, luego de pasar la noche adobada en una mezcla de mucho ajo y

overnight in a mixture of a lot of garlic and seasonings. Although the recipe varies

condimentos. Pese a que la receta vara en sus detalles entre un puesto y otro, El

from one place to another, El Briceo, a beautiful place where the Barbona stream

Briceo, balneario en donde convergen la quebrada Barbona con el ro Gualanday,

converges with the River Gualanday, is famous for its Sancocho de Gallina Criolla

es famoso por su sancocho de gallina criolla. Entre las 11 de la maana y las 5 de

(farm-raised hen stew). Between 11:00 AM and 5:00 PM, the famous Piqueteaderos

la tarde, los piqueteaderos ofrecen el plato insigne entre 25 y 35 mil pesos. Cada

(typical food informal restaurants) offer this dish for approximately 25.000 to 35.000

porcin incluye una gallina entera con su respectivo caldo caliente, lleno de yuca,

pesos. Each serving includes a whole chicken with its own hot broth filled with yucca,

arracacha, auyama, papa, pltano y mazorca, y en un plato aparte arroz blanco

arracacha (Arracacia xanthorriza), pumpkin, potato, plantain and corn; and, in a

cubierto de mollejas, hgado y rabadilla picados. Suficiente para cinco personas.

separate dish, white rice covered with chopped gizzards, chopped liver and rump. Each

Los rpidos y los pozos de agua dulce son gratis.

serving is enough for five people. The rapids and fresh water wells are free.

158 | 159

Un bao
de agua fra
A media hora de Ibagu y subiendo por una carretera angosta, de rieles
y curvas estrechas, por las que no cabe sino un vehculo, se llega a La
Cascada. Una vereda en la que el viento fro invita a respirar hondo
el aire puro de las montaas de la cordillera Central. A diario suben
hasta all grupos de ciclistas, amantes del medioambiente y de escalar
por difciles caminos. Su meta es llegar hasta la quebrada Cay, que cae
lenta y sutilmente a un pozo de ocho metros de largo y 1,60 metros de
profundidad. Sin importar lo helada que est, los pedaleros se despojan
de sus uniformes y se zambullen un instante, para dejar atrs el estrs
de la ciudad. Don Isaac, el dueo del granero, los ve y sabe que es
posible que luego del bao se decidan a tomarse un caf caliente. Vive
all hace 20 aos y fue l quien al represar con un muro de piedra y
guadua la corriente que produce la cada, construy esa piscina natural.
l tambin, una vez a la semana, se mete en esas aguas fras, pero a
diferencia de los dems, lo hace para cuidar y conservar siempre limpia
la que es el orgullo de su vereda.

A Cold Shower

Travelling half an hour from Ibagu, going up a narrow road with rails and narrow curves on
which only one vehicle fits, one will arrive to La Cascada: a rural district in which the cold
wind invites to breathe deep the pure air of the mountains of the Central Range. Every day,
groups of cyclists climb up to that point, those who love the environment and enjoy climbing
difficult routes. Their goal is to reach the Quebrada Cay (Cay Stream) which falls subtly and
slowly unto a well which is 8 meters long and 1.60 meters deep. Without considering how
cold it is, cyclists change their uniforms and dive for a moment, leaving behind the stress
of the city. Don Isaac, the owner of the barn, looks at them knows that after swimming they
will possibly decide to drink a cup coffee. He has lived there for the past 20 years. It was
him who built this natural pool by repressing with a stone wall and bamboo the current
that is produced by the waterfall. He also gets into that cold water once a week, but unlike
others, he goes in to take care and keep clean that which is the pride of his village.
160 | 161

El agua no es un bien material, es un bien espiritual.

Proverbio chino

Los gladiadores
Como gladiadores con miras a una batalla campal, los

Mientras uno de los hijos colombianos, de los cuatro en total que

practicantes de polo acutico del departamento del Tolima se sumergen

el Profe tiene, se pierde entre la multitud de cabezas que flotan en

todos los atardeceres en el pozo de clavados, sin ms armas que sus

el agua, l saca las cuentas de los oros ganados desde su llegada a

extremidades, sin ms armadura que su tenacidad. Este deporte, tambin

Ibagu, a finales de los aos 90, invitado por un amigo colombiano

conocido como balompi acutico o waterpolo, se juega con dos equipos

que era rbitro de clavados. Dos oros en Juegos Nacionales (2006 y

de seis miembros enfrentados. El triunfo lo definen los goles, siempre

2008), dos oros en el campeonato nacional Sub-17 (2007 y 2008),

y cuando hayan sido marcados sin hacer uso del fondo o de las paredes

un oro en el campeonato nacional de la modalidad y el privilegio de

para impulsarse. La propulsin debe ser resultado exclusivo de la fuerza

haber sido sede del Campeonato Nacional en el 2006.

corporal y la tcnica adecuada de patada circular. Pero adquirir la

potencia y el enfoque necesarios es trabajo de por lo menos una dcada.

Desde su llegada a la liga, todas las tardes lidera un grupo de

entrenadores y jueces que preparan, en las piscinas olmpicas

Y eso lo tiene muy claro el Profe, Gerardo Rodrguez, un cubano

de Ibagu, a los integrantes de las cinco categoras con las que

ex campen de la modalidad y licenciado en Educacin Fsica, con

cuenta el departamento, desde la Sub-11 hasta la de mayores. Su

especializacin en deportes acuticos, quien no gasta afn en forjar

meta es defender el terreno conquistado en el escenario nacional,

atletas de un montn de nios juguetones. Asere, el baln, le grita

y que ahora los ha convertido en el ncleo central de la Seleccin

uno de los adolescentes ruidosos que an no logra lanzar la bola con

Colombia, despus de desplazar a titanes como Antioquia y Valle.

direccin, mientras el Profe aclara que semejante confianza se la permite

Aunque este logro no suma oros, s una fama de guerreros que no

porque es su hijo (asere significa amigo en la jerga de su natal Habana).

hacen agua.

162 | 163

Gladiators
Like gladiators getting ready for an intense battle, water
polo players of the Department of Tolima immerge themselves every
afternoon in the diving well without any weapons except their arms and
legs, without any armour but their tenacity. This sport, also known as
balompi acutico (aquatic soccer) or water polo, is played between two
teams of six members each. Triumph is defined by the number of scored
goals, provided that they have been marked without using the bottom
or walls of the pool for propulsion. The propulsion must be the exclusive
result of using body strength and the proper circular kicking technique. But
acquiring the necessary strength and focus takes at least 10 years.
And this is very clear to Professor Gerardo Rodriguez (El Profe), a Cuban
ex-champion of the sport and holder of a degree in Physical Education
with specialization in water sports, who spares no effort in forging athletes
out of a lot of playful children. Asere, the ball, yells one of the noisy
teenagers who still cannot throw the ball with direction, while el Profe
clarifies that he allows such familiarity because it is his own son (Asere
means friend in the native slang of his native Havana).
While one of the Profes four Colombian children gets lost in the crowd
of heads that are floating on the water, el Profe counts how many golden
trophies he has won since he arrived to Ibagu in the late 90s, invited
by a Colombian friend who was a diving referee: two gold trophies in
the National Games (2006 and 2008), two gold trophies in the National
Sub-17 Championship (2007 and 2008), one gold in the national
championship of his modality and the privilege to have hosted of the
National Championship in 2006.
Since his arrival to the League, every afternoon El Profe leads a group
of coaches and judges who are preparing in the Olympic pools of Ibagu
the members of the five categories of the Department, going from Sub11 to adults category. Their goal is to defend what they conquered at
the national level, which has now placed them in the main core of the
Seleccin Colombia (Colombian National Team), displacing giants such
as Antioquia and Valle. Although this achievement does not add gold
trophies to their team, it gives them a reputation of unraveling warriors.

Water is not a material good, but a spiritual one.

Chinese proverb
164 | 165

Langostas, tiburones,
ballenas y cocodrilos
atraviesan el ocano
desde China en inmensos
contenedores. Desinflados,
doblados y empacados.
En las muchas tiendas de
variedades del balneario
tolimense de Melgar son
inflados a pulmn, hasta
quedar en forma. Entre
esbeltos maniques, que
sin piernas ni cabezas
modelan bikinis, trikinis y
tangas, estos gigantes de
aire se ofrecen colgados
por la mdica suma
de 20 mil pesos. Como
salvavidas, juguetes o
decoracin, los alucinantes
infladores seducen a
los nios y terminan
convertidos en un
miembro ms de las miles
de familias que pasan las
vacaciones o los fines de
semana sumergidas en las
clidas piscinas.

Fauna de piscina

Lobsters, sharks, whales and crocodiles cross the ocean from China in
huge containers. They come deflated, folded and packaged. In the many
stores of the Melgar clubs, these are blown up until the shapes take
form. Among slender mannequins without legs or heads wearing bikinis,
three-pieces swimming suits and tangas, these air giants are hanged and
offered for sale for the modest sum of 20,000 pesos. Amazing blowers
seduce children to buy these items as life belts, toys or decorations, and
thus they end up as members of the thousands of families who spend
vacations or weekends immersed in the warm pools of Melgar.

Pool Fauna

166 | 167

La nieve de Jasmn

En menos de cuatro horas Jasmn Rodrguez recorri en su triciclo la carretera que del
municipio cundinamarquense de Girardot conduce al tolimense de El Espinal. Una tarde de
domingo decidi cambiar de ambiente y tom carretera a las 2. Antes de las 6 haba alcanzado
la entrada de El Espinal, y desde entonces abre su parasol y parquea su triciclo justo al frente
del atrio de la catedral de Nuestra Seora del Rosario. Hace diez aos se inici en el negocio de
saciar la sed con los tradicionales copitos de nieve, hielo triturado baado con mieles de frutas
tropicales y leche condensada. En das regulares ella misma fabrica el hielo y los sabores de
cola, banano y limn. Pero en temporada alta prefiere comprar los bloques en la fbrica local,
para dar abasto. Sabe que en los das malos se vende unos 40, pero en fiestas patronales o
feria pierde la cuenta. Y solo por 700 pesos, mezclados o de un solo sabor.

Jasmines Snow
In less than four hours, Jasmn Rodriguez crosses the road that goes from the Cundinamarca
Municipality of Girardot to El Espinal, Tolima in her tricycle. One Sunday afternoon she
decided to change her surroundings and took the road at 2:00 pm. Before 6:00 pm she
had already reached the entrance of El Espinal, and since then she opens her parasol and
parks her tricycle right in front of the cathedral Nuestra Seora del Rosario. Ten years ago,
she started her business of quenching the thirst of people with the traditional Copitos de
Nieve (Snowflakes), which are made of crushed ice topped with tropical fruit syrups and
condensed milk. On regular days, she makes the ice as well as the cola, banana and lemon
flavors; but in high season she prefers to buy the blocks at the local factory in order to cope
with her work. She knows that when sales are bad, about 40 are sold, but during religious
holidays or fairs she cannot keep the number. And she sells them just for 700 pesos a unit,
either mixed or of a single flavor.

168 | 169

La tierra del viudo

l no me enamor, me enred, asegura Sonia Villalba de su esposo, Carlos Andrade,
entre risas y guios de ojo. Y tiene sentido que quien vive de vender pescados sea un experto
con las redes del amor. De los 11 aos que llevan juntos, ya han dado a luz tres hijos y un
restaurante. Hace ao y medio Carlos decidi aceptar la oferta de su patrn y le compr el
negocio, en donde l mismo era mesero. A cuotas pag El Gordo, donde ofrecen los platos
ribereos ms tradicionales, a la entrada de Flandes, a 50 metros de Puente Ospina, sobre el
ro Magdalena.
A la cabeza del men est el legendario viudo de capaz, una receta de la dieta de los
pescadores, que ahora es un invaluable de la cocina criolla. El secreto es doble: primero la
sancochada del capaz en agua de cilantro, cominos, sal, ajo y pimienta, que algunos cubren
con hojas de pltano para aromatizar; segundo, la chorreada al servir con un hogao de tomates
y cebollas. En el intermedio se le agrega al caldo pltano, papa, yuca, arracacha y calabaza, y
se vigila rigurosamente la coccin, para que el pescado no se deshaga. Se sirve seco, con el
caldo aparte espolvoreado con cilantro, y acompaado de arroz, aguacate y aj al gusto.
Adems del viudo de capaz, que es de las preparaciones que ms venden, pues Flandes es
reconocido por ello, en El Gordo Sonia y Carlos ofrecen seis variedades ms, desde los lisos,
como el bagre, hasta los de escamas, como el pargo, pasando por el nicuro, la mojarra, el
bocachico y el rbalo. Hace poco, cuenta l, al restaurante vecino lleg Anthony Bourdain, el
chef de televisin que recorre el mundo buscando excentricidades para degustar. Lo increble
de la visita, dice Carlos, es que en la tierra del viudo, Bourdain comi pescado crudo. Y al
contarlo, se retuerce de incredulidad.

170 | 171

The Land of Viudo

which some cover with plantain leaves for aromatization; and second,
the chorreada (drip) that is placed on top of it with the tomato and onion
sauce. Half way through, plantain, potato, yucca, arracacha (arracacia
xanthorriza) and pumpkin are added to the broth, which must be

He did not win my heart, he caught me, said Sonia Villalba

monitored closely to guarantee that the fish does not dissolve. It is served

referring to her husband Carlos Andrade, jokingly and winking her eye.

dry with the broth aside, sprinkled with coriander, with rice, avocado and

And it makes sense that he who makes a living selling fish should be

chili to taste.

an expert with the nets of love. During the 11 years that they have been
together, they have given birth to three children and one restaurant. One

In addition to the Viudo de Capaz, which is one of the best-selling dishes

year and a half ago, Carlos decided to accept the offer from his employer

because Flandes is well recognized for it, at the El Gordo Restaurant,

and bought his business in which Carlos himself had been working as a

Sonia and Carlos offer six additional varieties of fish, starting from

waiter. He paid for El Gordo in installments, where the most traditional

non-scaled catfish such as the Bagre (catfish) to the scaled fish such as

riverside dishes are served. It is located at the entrance of Flandes, 50

the Pargo (red snapper), going through the Nicuro (Pimelodus tachet),

meters from the Ospina Bridge on the Magdalena River.

the Mojarra (bluegill), Bocachico (Prochilodus magdalenae), and the

Rbalo (sea bass). Some time ago, Anthony Bourdain, the television chef

At the top of the menu is the legendary Viudo de Capaz, a recipe that

who travels the world looking for eccentric foods to taste, arrived to a

is included in the fishermens diet; an invaluable dish of the Creole

neighboring restaurant. The incredible thing about the visit, says Carlos,

cuisine. The secret is twofold: first, parboiling the capaz fish (Pimelodus

is that in the Land of the Viudo, Bourdain ate raw fish. And he squirms in

grosskopfii) in water with coriander, cumin, salt, garlic and pepper,

disbelief.

172 | 173

Callejeros

Corren, caminan, husmean, indagan, comen, beben, duermen, te siguen, menean

la cola, ladran. Solos o en manada, ellos van por ah, viviendo de lo que les den y calmando
su sed en las riberas de ros, quebradas, charcos, cascadas y jageyes. Dondequiera que
haya agua, ah estn ellos. Negros, blancos, cafs, grises, manchados, cachorros, viejos,
tristes, alegres, pero, ante todo, serenos y amigables son los perros sin dueo, que se ven
por montones por los caminos del Tolima. Como dice la cancin de Alberto Cortez, ellos
son callejeros por derecho propio, callejeros con el sol a cuestas, fieles a su destino y a
su parecer, sin tener horario para hacer la siesta, ni rendirle cuentas al amanecer. | They
run, walk, sniff, investigate, eat, drink, sleep, follow you, wag their tails and bark. Alone or
in packs, they walk around there, living off from what they are given and quenching their
thirst on the banks of rivers, streams, ponds, waterfalls and jageyes. Wherever there is
water, there they are. Black, white, brown, gray and spotted; puppies, old, sad and happy;
but above all, serene and friendly are the stray dogs which are seen in piles along the roads
of Tolima. As Alberto Cortezs song says, they are stray dogs in their own right, stray dogs
with the sun on their back; they are fieles a su destino y a su parecer, sin tener horario
para hacer la siesta, ni rendirle cuentas al amanecer (faithful to their destiny and opinion,
they do not have a specific time to take a nap, nor are they accountable to the dawn).

Stray Dogs

174 | 175

El agua atraviesa
la roca y vence los
obstculos con la
fuerza de la suavidad.
Lao Tse

Gentleness is stronger
than severity, water is
stronger than rock, love
is stronger than force.
Hermann Hesse

178 | 179

Agradecimientos
Este recorrido se llev a cabo gracias a la participacin de muchas personas. En estas pginas encontrar los
nombres de todos aquellos que nos dieron testimonio: a ellos mil gracias. Agradecemos al equipo de AngloGold
Ashanti en Tolima: Pablo Surez, Faber Linares, Rubn Clavijo y Alfredo Duarte. A los conductores Guillermo Daza,
Martn Arjona y Csar Augusto Sierra unas gracias especiales, pues sin su pericia, paciencia y profesionalismo el
trajinar por las carreteras del Tolima hubiera sido mucho ms arduo. En la Fundacin Ita Chue, en Ibagu, nuestro
reconocimiento a Jos Ignacio Saravanda, y especialmente a Adolfo Barn, quien nos acompa de manera generosa
durante una visita clave en la vereda Cay. En la represa del Prado, gracias a Aristbulo Meneses, quien es uno de
los personajes de este libro pero cuyo conocimiento de la represa nos fue de gran ayuda. En el Club Colombiano
de Aviacin Deportiva, Ultralivianos de Flandes, gracias a los pilotos capitn Andrs Hoyos y Ernesto Caldern. A
Colsubsidio, gracias por permitirnos registrar un domingo cualquiera en Piscilago, Melgar. En La Chamba, gracias
a la familia de Mara del Carmen Mndez y Jairo Barreto, quienes nos explicaron en detalle el proceso de creacin
de las artesanas de barro. En Cajamarca, gracias al personal de alimentacin de Casa Staff 1, y en el hotel Casa
Morales, en Ibagu, nuestro agradecimiento a su personal de servicios. Finalmente, nuestra gratitud a todos los
transentes, locales y visitantes, que aparecen en las fotografas de este libro viviendo su cotidianidad.

Acknowledgements
This trip was possible thanks to the help of many people. In these pages you will find the names of all of those
we interviewed: thanks to them. We also thank AngloGold Ashantis crew in Tolima: Pablo Surez, Faber Linares,
Rubn Clavijo and Alfredo Duarte. Thanks to the patience and expertise of drivers Guillermo Daza, Martn Arjona
and Csar Augusto Sierra our tour around Tolima was less difficult than it could have been. In the Fundacin Ita
Chue in Ibagu we thank Jos Ignacio Saravanda, and specially Adolfo Barn, who generously accompanied us to a
key visit to hamlet Cay. Our gratitude also goes to Aristbulo Meneses in the dam of El Prado. Although he is one
of the characters in the book, his knowledge of the reservoir was of great help. In the Club Colombiano de Aviacin
Deportiva, Ultralivianos of Flandes, we thank the pilots Capitan Andrs Hoyos and Ernesto Caldern. We also thank
Colsubisdio for authorizing us to register a regular Sunday in its Piscilago club in Melgar. In La Chamba we thank
the family of Mara del Carmen Mndez and Jairo Barreto for their detailed explanation of the process of creation of
the traditional handicrafts. In Cajamarca our gratitude goes to the personnel of Staff House 1, and to the staff of the
hotel Casa Morales in Ibagu. Last but not least, we thank all the people who are in the pictures of this book living
their daily lives.

Este libro se termin de imprimir en Bogot, D. C., el 1 de diciembre de 2011.

This book was printed in Bogot, D. C., on December 1st, 2011.