Colombia Culture

The culture of Colombia lies at the crossroads of Latin America. Thanks partly to geography, Colombian culture has been heavily fragmented into five major cultural regions. Rural to urban migration and globalization have changed how many Colombians live and express themselves as large cities become melting pots of people (many of whom are refugees) from the various provinces that have hit Colombia through out its violent history, more recently is the displacement caused by the Colombian armed conflict to cities and other countries Colombia is an ethnic mosaic, reflected in its culture, folklore, arts and crafts. The different roots and traditions of the Indians, Spanish and Africans have produced interesting fusions, particularly in crafts, sculpture and music. Pre-Columbian art consists primarily of stone sculpture, pottery and gold work.

Indian basket ware, weaving and pottery. Colombian music incorporates both the African rhythms of the Caribbean, Cuban salsa and heavily Spanish-influenced Andean music. Spanish is Colombia’s official language and, except for some remote Indian tribes, all Colombians speak it. There are also about 65 Indian languages - and nearly 300 dialects - still used in the country.While the education system includes English in its curriculum, it remains little known and rarely spoken.

Catholicism remains the dominant religion although over three million followers have recently left the Catholic faith and hooked up to other congregations (Anglican, Lutheran, Mormon, etc) or various religious sects.

Colombian cuisine consists largely of chicken, pork, potato, rice, beans and soup. Interesting regional dishes include: ajiaco (soup made with chicken and potato which is a Bogotano specialty); hormiga culona (a sophisticated dish, unique to Santander, consisting largely of fried ants); and lechona (whole suckling pig, spit-roasted and stuffed with rice and dried peas, which is a specialty of Tolima).The variety of fruit is astounding the coffee and beer excellent