Antonio Nariño Museum - Villa de Leyva

Happy Sunday!!

I'm back with another post from beautiful Villa de Leyva, Colombia. This time, I'm taking you on a tour of Antonio Nariño's home, which was turned into a museum bearing his name.

If you like Spanish colonial architecture, or if you want to read up on Colombian history, this is the post for you. If none of those subjects appeal to you, no worries, I'll be back with more DIYs and home décor in my next posts.

A couple of weeks ago I took you up and down the little cobblestone streets of Villa de Leyva. I couldn't help but take one-hundred-twenty-seven pictures of beautiful white houses with the most gorgeous balconies. Yes, most houses in Villa de Leyva look exactly like the house you see in the picture below. This one is, precisely, Antonio Nariño's home, now turned museum.

The entrance was free of charge, and I was very excited to see the interior of at least one of these beautiful houses.

However, let's start by knowing who Antonio Nariño was. Antonio Amador Jose de Nariño y Alvarez del Casal (Santa Fe de Bogota, Colombia 1765-1824 Villa de Leyva, Colombia) was a Colombian ideological precursor of the independence movement in New Granada (Colombia). He was also one of the first political and military leaders.

Nariño admired the political ideologies of the leaders of the French and American Revolutions. He held meetings to discuss the need for independence and the means of achieving it.

After getting a copy of the "Declaration of the Rights of a Man", which was distributed by the French Assembly, he translated it from French to Spanish. The translated pamphlets were distributed to all corners of the continent which cause him to be arrested.

Later on in life and after many trials and tribulations, he was appointed as one of the candidates for the election of the presidency of Gran Colombia.

Nariño was always interested in journalism, which is why he started publishing articles in the newspaper of the city of Santa Fe. In 1972, to avoid the newspaper being stopped from being published, Nariño bought the printing press, which he would use to print the translation of the Declaration of the Rights of a Man.

Translated from one of the museum's posters:

"Everyday Life in the 19th century

Our house is located on the south side, two blocks from the town's main square. It is made of adobe and clay roof tiles. Life passes slowly, spaced out. Outside there are almost no sounds, except for the chill of the morning and its subtle hiss. Women are dedicated to weaving. Pets lie in the corners."

I love the painting on the back of the seat.

This basket is something I would like to have right now in my own home.

The rooms in the front part of the house are the ones holding Nariño's memorabilia, pictures, letters, guns, and other objects.

Nariño also fought a few battles against the Spanish and Royalist forces in the south of the country. The emblematic uniform is here.

Continuing with the tour around the house and moving from those front rooms, we first had to pass this door.

The open courtyard was there in all its splendor!

The fountain in the middle of the yard, although empty, is a classic feature of Spanish colonial homes.

The Rights of a Man are displayed all around.

My daughter posing here on another classic element of Spanish colonial architecture, the arches.

The Declaration of the Rights of a Man is also imprinted here on this wall in the courtyard.

Continuing to the back of the house we passed by this room/gallery.

We then proceeded towards the backyard or garden.

It was a gorgeous day, we sat there to take a little break. I was there chatting with my niece Isa.

Back inside the house, we went upstairs.

There, we got to this long corridor.

It had a view of the courtyard below and of the adjacent houses.

The first room we entered here, was the living room.

Another translated excerpt :

"God, how many things! My in-laws have arrived from Europe and they seem to have gone crazy. They have brought many trunks full of the finest clothes for all members of the family. For the women of the family, they brought beautiful and tight dresses, corsets, and petticoats, with ruffles and lace at the bottom. They have brought them jewelry in pearls and other precious stones, ribbons, tortoiseshell combs to support their curls, and caps and scarfs."