El Peñón de Guatapé

About

The Rock of Guatapé (Peñón de Guatapé) (Tahamí language: Mojarrá) is a landmark inselberg in Colombia. It is located in the town and municipality of Guatapé, Antioquia. It is also known as The Stone of El Peñol, or simply La Piedra or El Peñol (La Piedra de El Peñol), as the town of El Peñol, which borders Guatapé, has also historically claimed the rock as their own and thus has led to different names for the site. The landform is a granitic rock remnant that has resisted weathering and erosion, likely due to being less fractured than the surrounding bedrock. The Peñón de Guatapé is an outcrop of the Antioquia Batholith and towers up to 200 m (660 ft) above its base. Visitors can scale the rock via a staircase with 708 steps built into one side (an entrance fee is due). Near the base of the rock are food and market stalls for shopping. The area around the rock contains many photo opportunities for visitors. Colorful murals of the rock painted by local artists decorate the insides of the restaurants and stores. A VIP area includes signs where tourists can take pictures with the name of the town and the rock behind it. A bronze statue of Luis Eduardo Villegas López sits at the bottom of the rock. The statue, installed on February 25, 2008, was created by sculptor Mario Hernández C. to honor Villegas as the first to climb to the top of the rock. About halfway up the stai

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.