Museo Juan del Corral

The museum is in a white mansion on Calle 11, one block from the Plaza Mayor of Santa Fe de Antioquia. It was created by a 1960 law and opened to the public in 1970. The house mixes colonial and republican architecture, and you enter through a neoclassical doorway added later.

It's named after Juan del Corral, born in Mompox, who governed Antioquia and declared its full independence from Spain. The most important piece is the table on which that declaration of independence was signed, on August 11, 1813. There's also an image of Marshal Jorge Robledo, the city's founder, and the coat of arms King Charles I granted to Santa Fe.

It has seven permanent rooms and one for temporary exhibitions. You walk through tiled corridors with wooden columns, an old kitchen with a wood-fired stove and clay pots, and patios with plants. During Holy Week it puts on exhibitions about that tradition, the most deeply rooted in town.

It's a visit of less than an hour that you can walk to from the square, and it helps you understand why Santa Fe was the capital of Antioquia until the 19th century. Combine it with the Cathedral, the cobblestone streets and the Puente de Occidente.

What to see

• The table where Antioquia's declaration of independence was signed in 1813.
• The old kitchen with a wood-fired stove and clay pots.
• The mansion's corridors and patios.
• The temporary exhibition room.

Getting there

• On foot: from the Plaza Mayor of Santa Fe de Antioquia, one block along Calle 11.
• From Medellín: bus to Santa Fe de Antioquia from the Terminal del Norte (Caribe metro station), 1 to 2 hours.

Tips

• Avoid Wednesday: it's usually closed that day.
• Go in the morning, before the strong midday heat.
• Combine it with the Puente de Occidente, 10 minutes away by mototaxi.