January 09, 2007
Diablada - Devil's Carnival in Colombia
Every other year in the town of Riosucio in NW Colombia is the Diablada, the Devil's Carnival. This carnival is a celebration of the mixed African and Caribbean heritage of Colombia, dating back to the first Diablada in the mid 1800's. The festival is held typically the second week of January in odd-numbered years (2007, 2009, etc).
This celebration is unique in mixing African symbology with native Colombian iconography as well.
Riosucio, in the Caldas state, is fairly difficult to reach. You can fly into the Caldas airport on Avianca or drive. The flight is about 25 minutes from Bogota or about 265 km driving.
