Visiting the Salt Cathedral in Zipaquirá, Colombia an Underground Salt Mine.

Underground Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá, Colombia, an underground Roman Catholic church built within the salt mines 660ft underground and buried deep in the hill of Zipa ( named after the most important indigenous chief).

The mines contain rock salt and originated 250 million years ago in an inland sea, and when the sea dried up, a large salt deposit was left behind in the mud and eventually became giant rocks of salt. As civilizations began settling in the region, they too began mining the salt; however, the first people recorded to use the salt mines were the Muisca.

The Muisca, also known as the Salt People.

The Muisca civilization had one of the more advanced pre-hispanic civilizations and found ways to use the salt to their advantage. Salt became more crucial than Gold; they even traded and paid for goods in salt instead of money or Gold.

As well as work was paid for in Gold as well. Gold and emeralds were also found in the mines; however, that was less valuable than salt. Nevertheless, it is also how they became some of the most prosperous pre-Hispanic peoples.

They discovered ways to preserve food with salt, which could be used in trade and payments. The Muisca people removed chunks of salt from the top, not from inside the mines as they are today. After removing the salt, they would mix it with water, place it in large clay pots, and heat the salt. When the water evaporated, the salt was left.

In the Muisca culture, Gold was used only for the village chiefs during the ceremony. It is said that this is also part of the Legend of El Dorado, and even when you look up the Muisca, it is associated with legends. However, here in Colombia, the Muisca still exists in some parts.

When the Spanish came searching for Gold, it is said that the Muisca gave them the ¨ fools' Gold ¨ not because they knew the value but because it was used in the ceremony. The king of the Muisca people covered himself with gold dust and submerged him in Lake Guatavita, which is also believed to be another location for El Dorado. These two locations became hot spots for the Spanish to search for Gold, yet the salt was more critical for the Muisca.

The Muisca are located in the regions of Cundinamarca and Boyacá, Colombia. It is believed there were two migrations, one starting in 1270 BC and the other between 800 BC and 500 BC, respectively, much thinking they were as advanced as the Mayans, Aztec, and Inca civilizations.

The Mythology.

Before the Spanish conquest of the Muisca Confederation, it is believed that the first human rulers of the two capitals of Hunza and Bacatá descended from mythical creatures. In the mythology of the Muisca Mnya, the Gold or golden color represented the energy contained in the trinity of Chiminigagua, the supreme being, which includes the creative power of everything that exists.

El Dorado is the legend of a man or city made of Gold, the primary motive for the Spanish to conquer Colombia.

So how did the mines become what they are today?

The salt mine in Zipaquirá has been described as a mountain of salt, and the process of collecting the salt did not change until Alexander vom Humboldt arrived in the 19th century in Colombia. He had an idea of mines and tunnels to dig for salt below ground instead of from the top down as the Muiscas did.

It also was a faster way to get salt, Gold, and emeralds. Soon they used oxen and railways to carry more significant amounts of salt out of the mines; it was also a more dangerous way as they introduced dynamite into the mines. Finally, in the 20th century, salt could be extracted vertically, creating jobs and many people in the salt mines day and night.

How did the Cathedral start?

The Cathedral began because the early miners prayed before the start of the workday, as working in the mines was dangerous. Each miner never knew if they would survive the day. So they prayed to the Virgin of the Rosary of Guasá (meaning salt and water), the patron saint of miners, to protect them from toxic gases, explosions, or anything else that could happen to them inside the mines.

When you walk into the mines, you will see 14 small chapels representing the cross stations, illustrating Jesus' last journey—each chapel with a cross and kneeling platforms carved out of salt. The corridors also smell sulfur, as you are inside a salt mine; however, my guide told me it is suitable for respiratory, that is, as long as the ventilation is good, which it is now.

The Cathedral was constructing the more prominent Cathedral in 1950 and completed in 1954. It is believed that the Muisca also carved some of the original structures. Unfortunately, part of the original structure was shut down for safety reasons, but a new one was constructed and finished in 1995.

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