The city of Popayan will unveil a new convention center this November, El Liberal reported today.
The convention center will be the city’s first and will be named after the city’s historic mint. The center will be constructed on the same site as the mint, now destroyed, which dated back nearly 281 years.
The center will be a fully modern building, featuring sophisticated lighting, air-conditioning, seating and sound facilities. Nearly $4 million in public funds have been committed to the project.
The governor of Cauca, the department which contains Popayan, recently toured the site and reported that the construction was on schedule and that public funds have been properly directed towards the project. The governor expects the center will be completed on time.
Popayan is known as the ‘white city’ of Colombia, due to its well preserved colonial core, which is completely painted a creamy white. The city is a popular tourist center for its beauty as well as being a base for tourists exploring Colombia’s ruins further south. Popayan’s was dubbed the first “city of gastronomy” by UNESCO for its great diversity of culinary styles.
The city is also politically important to Colombia, as 17 of Colombia’s former presidents hailed from Popayan. The city also features the University of Cauca, one of Colombia’s oldest and most distinguished universities, established in 1827.