Travel Guide Pasto

San Juan de Pasto is the capital of the department of Nariño. The city was founded in 1539 by Lorenzo de Aldana, at the foot of the Galeras volcano. Located at 2,527 meters above sea level and with a population of about 400,000, it is an old city with beautiful churches, whose bell towers hide the view of the volcano rising on the horizon. A city with strong religious and cultural traditions The Plaza Nariño is the heart of the city, where you can find the Temple of San Juan Bautista (1669), a colonial building with Moorish touches, and the Cathedral of Pasto, built in a neoclassical style between 1899 and 1920, on the site of an old Franciscan church In the vicinity of Pasto, you can visit Sandoná, with its basilica and weekly market. This village is located at the foot of the Galeras (4,276 m), where you can practice Andeanism, paragliding and mountain biking.The city, like the department of Nariño, has an important indigenous and peasant community. The inhabitants of Nariño have always been considered a valorous people. The area around Pasto is dedicated to cold climate crops, such as potatoes. Here, the Andes reach inaccessible heights. Tourism is not very developed, as the department has suffered, and still suffers in some areas that are difficult to access, from a violent political situation.The Carnival of Blancos y Negros is the main local festivity and is one of the oldest festivals in Colombia. The history of this carnival goes back to colonial times. The colonists painted their faces black on January 5th, and the slaves white the next day. This tradition has been perpetuated until today. It is held every year from January 2 to 7. The inhabitants painted each other's faces with clay, chalk, oil, flour or talcum powder. You can buy a mask to protect yourself, antifaz. The carnival, which celebrates tolerance and ethnic diversity, was included in the Unesco's Oral and Intangible Heritage in 2009