A few tens of kilometres from Medellín, Colombia, lies an enchanting village both for its natural wonders and its colourful buildings: the zócalos of Guatapé.
A brief history of Guatapé
Founded in 1811 by Spaniard Don Francisco Giraldo y Jimenez, Guatapé is a colonial town located in the Antioquia department in the north-west of Colombia. Before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in the 1500s, the territory was inhabited by indigenous groups. These were led by a certain Guatapé. With just over 6000 inhabitants, Guatapé is about 80 km from Medellín, the regional capital. It overlooks a large artificial lake, the result of an enormous engineering project in the 1970s. More than 2000 hectares of land were flooded in order to set up the hydroelectric complex that exists today. This work completely transformed the local economy from agricultural to purely touristic, as the lake is one of the region’s main attractions, along with the large rock formation that dominates the place. The monolith, called El Peñón de Guatapé, towers 220 metres and the summit can be reached via a vertical climb of over 700 stairs. In addition to its landscapes, lake and dam, Guatapé is also famous for its zócalos, the colourful decorative panels that adorn the facades of buildings.
Paint stores
and paint shops
nearest to you
What are zócalos
Zócalo, in Spanish, means ‘plinth’ (in the sense of base), ‘skirting board’. The lower parts of the façades of buildings in Guatapé are called zócalos, made of masonry or cement and decorated with colours and figures. They are ancient and modern works (some date back to the early 20th century), originally designed for practical purposes, i.e. to protect the walls from humidity and dirt. Through shapes and colours, each building becomes a popular work of art, incorporating traditional motifs, religious symbols, geometries inspired by nature and the country’s history, or even portraits and landscapes. Many of those same façades are also painted in equally vibrant colours, creating multi-coloured views and landscapes. A kind of open-air art gallery. The zócalos are painted by hand. Local artists are dedicated to the creation and restoration of these panels, helping to keep the tradition alive. In recent years, the local government and cultural organisations have promoted projects to preserve and enhance this art form, attracting tourists from all over the world.
The colour palette of the Guatapé zócalos
From Italy to Turkey, from France toArgentina, from Morocco to Poland, ‘cities in colour’ can be a great inspiration to create colour combinations for furniture and domestic spaces. As we have done before, we have tried to imagine a colour palette using the zócalos of Guatapé as inspiration. They are mainly primary colours and very intense shades, but there are also more subtle nuances. Some of them are similar to those in our Vintage Prestige line of textured effect paints. They are highly opaque, water-based, odourless and free of substances harmful to health and the environment. They can be used on a variety of materials: wood, metal, glass, plastic, fabric and small portions of wall. 
