Colombia is home to Villa de Leyva, a historic town founded in 1572.
Villa de Leyva was established by Spanish authorities on 12 June 1572 in the Andean region of present-day Boyacá Department. Its broad Plaza Mayor, surrounded by whitewashed colonial buildings, is one of the largest town squares in the Americas.
The town’s preserved architecture includes tiled roofs, stone streets, churches and civic buildings. Its location near Bogotá made it an important colonial settlement, while its dry climate helped preserve much of its historic character. Villa de Leyva was declared a Colombian national monument in 1954.
The surrounding region also has important fossil sites, including remains of marine reptiles from the Cretaceous period. The town is sometimes confused with Bogotá’s colonial La Candelaria district, but Villa de Leyva is a separate historic settlement roughly 160 kilometres north of the capital.