The 'Royal Road' to Guane, a beautiful trek with an insane history

[Judi Lynn]

by Adriaan Alsema July 10, 2019


The road between Barrichara and Guane in the Santander province may be a gorgeous trek, but has a controversial history of imperialism and exploitation.

The Royal Road, or “Camino Real” has nothing to do with royalty; it was constructed almost 50 years after Colombia became a republic by Geo von Lengerke, a controversial German who allegedly fled his home country after killing a man in a duel who ended up creating a neo-feudal system on his estate near Barichara.

Von Lengerke built the road over an ancient path between Barichara and Guane, an ancient settlement of the extinct Guane people that was originally called Moncora.

Little is known about the original inhabitants of the town other than they sustained themselves by trading with the neighboring Muisca people who inhabited the high plains around Bogota.

The Guanes allegedly worshiped the Muisca god Ochica, who they believed to have founded their civilization and taught the locals agriculture and craftsmanship.

Archaeologists later found that the Guanes were surprisingly tall compared to other peoples in the region and deliberately deformed children’s skulls.

More:
https://colombiareports.com/the-royal-road-to-guane-a-beautiful-trek-with-an-insane-history/