Unit 6: Ayer hice…

Question 1

What two bodies of water make up the Columbian coastline?

Answer 1

The Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea

Question 2

What is the size of Columbia, in comparison with Texas?

Answer 2

It is slightly smaller than double the size of Texas.

Question 3

What is the capital of Columbia and other important Columbian cities?

Answer 3

The capital is Bogotá, which is also the largest city. Other important cities in Colombia are Medellín in the northern part of the Andes, the second largest city, Cali, in the west, and Cartagena on the north coast.

Question 4

What is the geography of Columbia? How does this impact its climate?

Answer 4

Colombia is a geographically diverse country. The elevation ranges from sea level to 5,775 meters at the Pico Cristóbal Colón. There are lowland plains and coasts, the Andes Mountains, and central highlands. Because of such diversity, the climate can be tropical, particularly near the coast, or much cooler in the mountains.

Question 5

How is the cultural diversity in Colombia? What is the population number in Columbia? Where do most people in Columbia live? What is the main language in Columbia? How much of the population is mestizo?

Answer 5

Colombia is also culturally diverse. With a population of over 46,000,000 people, much of the population is concentrated along the Caribbean coastal area, as well as in the highlands of the Andes. Approximately 99% of the country speaks Spanish, but there are also over 100 different indigenous languages that are spoken in the country as well. More than half of the country’s population is mestizo, or of mixed European and indigenous descent, but there are several other ethnic groups as well.

Question 6

What is the second biggest city in Columbia?

Answer 6

Medellín

Question 7

Which geographical region of Columbia is Medellín located in?

Answer 7

The Andes Region

Question 8

Why is Medellín nicknamed the “city of eternal spring”?

Answer 8

Medellín is nicknamed the “city of eternal spring” because the city has spring-like temperatures all year round. The temperature ranges from around 59 to 85°F all year, so it is a nice, temperate climate.

Question 9

What is the Festival of Flowers in Medellín, Columbia?

Answer 9

The Festival of Flowers is a very special event that takes place in the city of Medellín during the month of August, and it lasts for ten days. Originally, the festival celebrated the city’s flower industry, and it sees the whole city decorated in flowers. The festival is not just about the greenery though; there are also many cultural events to see. For example, you can hear the national orchestra play among other musical groups and genres, such as folk or jazz. You can watch a classic car parade, or even participate in a talent show. And of course, there is also music, dancing, and fireworks.

Question 10

What is the Desfile de Silleteros? What is its significance?

Answer 10

The Desfile de Silleteros, or the Parade of the Silleteros, is the highlight of the Flower Festival in Medellín, and it celebrates the farmers responsible for the arrangements and decorations. Traditionally, giant flower arrangements are carried on a person’s back on a silleta, which is an object that resembles a chair. The silletas were used to carry people in the mountains. The flower arrangements in the parade depict Colombian culture, history, or even the land. It is a parade to show off, celebrate, and appreciate Colombia’s vast cultural heritage.

Question 11

What is the fifth largest city in Colombia?

Answer 11

Cartagena

Question 12

Where is Cartagena located?

Answer 12

Cartagena is on the north coast of Columbia, on the Caribbean Sea.

Question 13

What is the city of Cartagena, Columbia, named after?

Answer 13

It is named after the city of Cartagena in Spain.

Question 14

What is the economy like in Cartagena (hint: what does it produce)?

Answer 14

Cartagena is a very industrialized city, and produces chemicals and petroleum products. However, there are a lot of beautiful things to see, which accounts for its tourism.

Question 15

Found in the old section of Cartagena, Columbia, what are some major attractions?

Answer 15

• The Church of San Pedro Claver, which is over 400 years old.
• The Palace of the Inquisition
• The Plaza de Bolívar, which is a beautiful square with a statue of Simón Bolívar, who was an important political leader who helped Latin America gain its independence from Spain.

Question 16

What is the Boca Grande area in Cartagena?

Answer 16

The Boca Grande area is a popular tourist destination in Cartagena with a lot of shops, hotels, restaurants, and galleries.

Question 17

Who was Gabriel García Márquez?

Answer 17

Gabriel García Márquez was a Colombian author who wrote novels, short stories, screenplays, and articles. He is widely considered one of the most important writers of the twentieth century.

Question 18

When and where was Gabriel García Márquez born? What themes appeared in his works? What are some of his most popular works?

Answer 18

Márquez was born in 1927, in Aracataca, Colombia. Though he started as a journalist, he is probably best known for his novels and stories. Themes of love, solitude, and death often appeared in his work. One of his most well-known works is the novel One Hundred Years of Solitude, which is a story about the peaceful town of Macondo and the family that founded it. The town was very isolated, but gradually comes into contact with the outside world and that brings changes and problems. Other works for which he is well known are The Autumn of the Patriarch and Love in the Time of Cholera.

Question 19

What style did Gabriel García Márquez use to write his novels and stories?

Answer 19

Márquez’s novels and stories are written in a unique style known as magical realism, in which magical or fantasy elements are integrated into realistic settings and situations. For example, in One Hundred Years of Solitude, the town is a realistic setting; however, there are elements of magic and fantasy, such as flying carpets and ghosts.

Question 20

When did Gabriel García Márquez win the Nobel Prize for Literature?

Answer 20

Márquez won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982.

Question 21

When did Gabriel García Márquez pass away?

Answer 21

He passed away in 2014, but his legacy lives on in his words.

Question 22

How do pharmacies in the Spanish-speaking world compare to U.S. drugstores?

Answer 22

In the Spanish-speaking world, it is common for pharmacies to really only sell medicines, both prescription and non-prescription, and medicinal or health-related products, whereas drugstores in the U.S. are often like large convenience stores, selling everything from soft-drinks to flip-flops, in addition to medicines and medicinal products. However, just as in the U.S., in the Spanish-speaking world, if you have a prescription, you need the pharmacist to fill the prescription for you.

Question 23

True or False: In the Spanish-speaking world, some of the old style pharmacies still exist, where the pharmacist actually prepares the medications for the customer.

Answer 23

True

Question 24

What trend can be identified between pharmacies in the Spanish-speaking world and U.S. drugstores?

Answer 24

In the Spanish-speaking world, more and more pharmacies are moving toward the U.S. style of drugstore chains, selling products other than just medicine, and offering other services such as photo printing. In many places in the Spanish-speaking world, different pharmacies in an area will take turns being open 24-hours for emergencies.

Question 25

Where is Simón Bolívar Metropolitan Park located?

Answer 25

In the center of Bogotá, Columbia.

Question 26

How many parks make up Simón Bolívar Metropolitan Park?

Answer 26

Five

Question 27

How does Simón Bolívar Metropolitan Park compare to Central Park in New York?

Answer 27

Simón Bolívar Metropolitan Park is bigger than Central Park in New York.

Question 28

What is the name of the main green space in Simón Bolivar Metropolitan Park? What are its main attractions?

Answer 28

The main greenspace, Simón Bolivar Metropolitan Park, is beautiful. It has a lot of paths that you can walk along and even a large lake. It also has an area that is for concerts. The area is shaped like a shell in order to improve the acoustics. It is a popular venue for concerts and festivals, some of which are free to the public.

Question 29

What is El Parque de Los Novios? Which park system is it found in? What are its main attractions?

Answer 29

El Parque de Los Novios, which means “The Park of the Boyfriends/Girlfriends,” is another park in the Simón Bolivar Metropolitan Park system. It is also called el Parque El Lago, or Lake Park, due to its main attraction, the lake. Here you can enjoy the lake by strolling along the many paths, renting a boat, or even barbecuing in one of the little kiosks set up for barbecues and picnics.

Question 30

What is El Salitre Mágico? What park system is it found in? What are its main attractions?

Answer 30

El Salitre Mágico, or Magic Salitre, is also part of the Simón Bolívar Park. This park includes an amusement park with rides, including rollercoasters and a water park.

Question 31

Next to which park is the sports center of Simón Bolívar Metropolitan Park located? What are its main attractions?

Answer 31

The sports center is right next to the Salitre Mágico. This is an amazing sports complex which has all kinds of facilities like basketball courts, soccer fields, tennis courts, areas for practicing, skating, hockey, and even archery. In addition to that, there is a soccer stadium that can fit up to 5,000 spectators and the Coliseum for public events.

Question 32

What are other features of Simón Bolívar Metropolitan Park?

Answer 32

The Simón Bolivar Park also has a children’s museum, an aquatic complex with three swimming pools, including an Olympic-sized pool, a library, a large plaza for different events, as well as a botanical garden.

Question 33

About how many big shopping centers are there in Bogota, Columbia?

Answer 33

Around 30

Question 34

In Bogota, what is a similar pattern seen around the world, in terms of what different areas produce? How can this be seen with the southern Restrepo area, El centro, and 12 de octubre area?

Answer 34

Just like in many towns and cities around the world, different areas are known for different items. For example, the southern Restrepo area is known for shoes. El centro is known for appliances, while the 12 de octubre area is known for furniture.

Question 35

In the street markets of Bogota, what are some common materials from which items are made?

Answer 35

Clay, bamboo, leather, wood, el totumo, which is a type of gourd, silver, gold, coconuts, and hand-knitted items.

Question 36

What is tagua? How is it used on Bogotá’s street markets?

Answer 36

Tagua is a kind of vegetable ivory. The nut comes from a plant called la tagua, and it is hard and smooth with an ivory color. In fact, it looks and feels similar to ivory, and it is often used to make very pretty bracelets on street markets in Bogota.

Question 37

What are sombreros vueltiaos?

Answer 37

Sombreros vueltiaos are woven hats made of the black and white fibers of a palm tree called la caña flecha. They are braided and woven in a traditional technique of the Zenú Indians, which is over a thousand years old.

Question 38

What are two popular museums in Bogotá, Columbia?

Answer 38

The Colombian National Museum and the Gold Museum, or el Museo del Oro.

Question 39

What is the Columbian National Museum? What is its history? What are its main attractions?

Answer 39

The Colombian National Museum, or el Museo Nacional de Colombia, is the oldest museum in Colombia and was founded in 1823. The museum is right in el centro, or downtown, of Bogotá. The building itself is very interesting as it used to be a prison called the Panóptico. It has old stone and brick walls with arches and domes. But even more interesting is what is inside the museum. The museum has a collection of over 20,000 works of art, archeology, and history. I especially liked seeing the artifacts of the various people that have lived in what is Colombia today. There are artifacts dating from 10,000 B.C. up to the 20th century. It is essentially a history of the Colombian people all in one place. I also enjoyed seeing the works of the Colombian masters Fernando Botero, Alejandro Obregón, and Guillermo Weidemann.

Question 40

What is El Museo del Oro, or the Gold Museum, in Bogotá? What is its main attraction (hint: Muisca tribe)?

Answer 40

El Museo del Oro, or Gold Museum, is another fascinating museum in Bogota, and it is dedicated to gold works. It is the biggest collection of pre-Hispanic gold works in the world. The museum has around 55,000 pieces, almost 34,000 of which are gold pieces. The other pieces are works of bone, stone, ceramic, and textiles. There, you can see gold pieces from the many different cultures that inhabited Colombia before the arrival of the Spanish; there are pieces from the Calima, the Quimbay, the Muisca, and Zenú, among others. There are also pieces of jewelry, decorative sculptures, figurines, and even storage vessels all made of gold. Perhaps the most famous piece in the museum is the Muisca Raft. This is an impressive pre-Colombian figure made of gold that depicts a raft made of logs upon which there is a chief in headdress with his soldiers who are carrying banners. It is an intricate piece that represents the ceremony of a legend called El Dorado. In this ceremony, the next heir to the chief would cover himself in gold. With gold and emerald offerings to the gods, he would jump into the lake. Miraculously, this piece was found by three farmers in a cave in 1969. It was found inside of a ceramic pot. Now it is one of the most important pieces in the museum for all to enjoy.

Question 41

What is the Cartagena Film Festival?

Answer 41

The Cartagena Film Festival is the oldest film festival in all of Latin America, and it occurs every March.

Question 42

What types of films does the Cartagena Film Festival focus on?

Answer 42

Ever since 1976, the festival has focused on Ibero-American films, which helps to promote and strengthen the Ibero-American film industry and the cultural identity of the Spanish-speaking world. Even today, most of the films selected for the festival are stories that highlight the cultural identity of Spanish-speaking countries, often stories that show everyday life and social relationships. However, over the years more international entries from non-Spanish-speaking countries have been selected for their creativity and expressions of culture.

Question 43

What is La cumbia music, originating from Columbia?

Answer 43

La cumbia is a very popular musical style throughout Latin America, but it originally comes from Colombia, specifically the Caribbean region. It is a mix of European, African, and indigenous cultures. The music originates from the days of slavery, owing its rhythms to the African influences. The word cumbia comes from the African word for dance, “cumbe.”

Question 44

Which cultures contributed to cumbia music? What were their contributions? What are some instruments present in cumbia music?

Answer 44

While the rhythms of the music have African origins, the melodies of the flute come from the indigenous culture. Melodic variations as well as the choreography of the dance come from Europeans. Traditionally, the cumbia includes three kinds of drums and percussion instruments such as the maraca or guache. A guache is a cylinder made of metal or wood filled with seeds or other small items and is shaken to make noise. Flutes of Colombian origin called gaitas are also common.

Question 45

How has modern cumbia music evolved from the original cumbia music?

Answer 45

Now, modern cumbia music includes other instruments such as the clarinet, horns, and piano. Today the cumbia includes vocals as well, whereas the cumbia originally was only instrumental.

Question 46

What is el vallenato music, originating from Columbia? What are its origins?

Answer 46

El vallenato is another musical style from Colombia. The word itself means “from the valley,” derived from the fact that the music comes from the valley in northeast Colombia in the Caribbean region. Like the cumbia, el vallenato is a type of folk music. The origin of this musical style is the farmers of the valley who kept up the tradition of the Spanish minstrels. Their music was mixed with the African minstrels who traveled from town to town and sang messages together. Traditionally, the African minstrels played guitars and gaitas, or flutes. This blend of music was the beginning of the vallenato. Originally, the music included flutes and percussion instruments like la caja, a kind of drum, and la gucharaca, which is a pole-shaped instrument with ridges. The player rubs the ridges with a fork to make noise. Later, other instruments were added, such as the guitar, the piano, and the accordion.

Question 47

How have views on vallenato music evolved throughout the ages?

Answer 47

Initially, the vallenato was perceived as being of the lower classes. However, its popularity gradually spread, becoming popular at parties and carnivals. Today, Colombia celebrates the vallenato every April with the Vallenato Legend Festival. Music groups and individual musicians compete to win the title of best song, best lyrics, and best accordion player, among others.