Read "Andean region" and we think of South America and several countries, but in reality, specifically, it refers to one of the six natural regions that make up Colombia. Obviously it is named after the Andes Mountains.
It is in the center of Colombia and has three branches of the Andes, the Central Cordillera, the Western and the Eastern. Of course it has landscapes full of valleys, plateaus and canyons and it is an extremely beautiful area of the country. The people here have their customs and dressing in a certain way is one of them. Then, What is the typical costume of the Andean Region?
Andean region
As we said, it is one of the natural regions of Colombia. Have many mountains and many diverse landscapess and also, it is a heavily populated area and great economic activity. Here is the Volcanic Massif, the Santa Rosa de Osos Plateau, the Cauca River Valley, the so-called Nudo de los Pastos, the Serranía de Perijá and the Nevado de Tolima, just to name a few of its subregions.
In the Andean Region a large part of Colombia's water resources are located and huge agricultural areas, including the Coffee axis. It is also the land of the famous colombian emeralds and also the region where Bogotá, Medellín and Calí are located.
The typical costume of the Andean Region
As we have been saying in these types of articles, there is not a single traditional costume but several. And all, of course, are related to the local culture and folklore. The Andean Region is diverse as there has been a great cultural syncretism: to indigenous culture has been added since colonial times the African and Spanish culture. If we add to that the diverse climates and landscapes, the result is a true and wonderful cultural melting pot.
The typical costumes are various, there are old ones, there are newer ones and those that only appear in cultural festivals or those that are related to a certain historical moment and nothing else. So, we can name some of the most popular ones.
Let's start with the typical costumes of Antioquia. They are simple clothes, of working people. The man is dressed as a typical muleteer, with long denim trousers rolled up, a shirt with sleeves also rolled up.
On their heads they wear a hat with a black ribbon, typical of Antioquia, with a machete, a light poncho and a and, lastly, the ‘carriel’, (leather bag. For their part, the women, typical coffee pickers known as chapolasThey have a white blouse with wide sleeves and a high neck, an apron over a skirt with a flowery print and lace, and a matching scarf. They also wear a wide hat, espadrilles and basket in hand.
El typical costume of Boyaca It is warm because it is cold here. The man wears black pants, a thick virgin wool ruana, a cloth hat and a white shirt with a handkerchief. In the event that he is going to dance the guabina, folk dance, the trousers are rolled up, espadrilles and a jipa hat are worn. And the woman? She wears a heavy black skirt with ribbons of different colors, a white petticoat, a single-colored blouse with embroidery, a black mantilla and a jipa hat, among other variants.
Tolima has a beautiful and colorful outfit: in women the skirt is colorful, with silk ribbons and a white petticoat with striking lace. They wear a white blouse with a bib, sleeves · / 4 and a high neck, also with lace and over the skirt itself. On the feet, espadrilles, like men. They wear white pants and shirt and a red scarf around their necks. The fique backpack, made of natural fibers, is not missing.
Tolima and Huila are two departments and although we are talking about the Tolima costume there is also a Huila costume, the typical opita costume. It is used to dance the sanjuanero, the official dance of the Reinado Nacional del Bambuco festival in Neiva. The women are very elegant, with a wide satin skirt with three ruffles and superimposed flowers, beads and sequins plus a petticoat, and a white blouse with more ornaments. On the head, huge flowers. The man from Huila has black pants, a leather belt, espadrilles and a hat with a white shirt with tucks on the front and sequins. A red scarf completes the outfits.
Santander also has its own typical costume. The women wear a very flared black percale skirt, with colorful ribbons as ornaments in the hem, a white blouse also with ribbons, espadrilles and a jipa hat. The man wears black trousers rolled up, but one leg is always more rolled up than the other, a white shirt with an embroidered bib and a hat with an elegant peacock feather.
In Nariño, both men and women show their calves in the air. The woman has a long-sleeved white blouse and a black skirt with a colored petticoat underneath. They also have a silk shawl, low velvet or wool shoes, and a cloth hat. To match it, the man has black pants, a white shirt, and a woven ruin over his shoulder.
Shorter suits are also used in Cauca. The typical Cauca costume is more indigenous and there are several because here there are several ethnic groups. But, for example, there is the costume of the Guámbianos: the men have a straight blue mid-calf skirt, a cotton shirt, a colored scarf, a felt hat, boots or shoes, a belt and two ruanas, one black and the other gray. . The woman's skirt is semi-straight and black, with silk ribbons that match the colors of the shawl. The shirt is red or blue and they wear felt bowler hats and white necklaces.
So far some of the best typical costumes of the Andean Region, region that occupies several departments: all the so-called Eje Cafetero (Quindío, Risaralda, Caldas and Antioquia), Huila, Nariño, Cundinamarca, Tolima, Santander, Boyacá and Norte de Santander.
It is the land of many popular festivals and it is during these festivals that all these wonderful, beautiful and colorful costumes come to light.