The Salt Cathedral is an impressive subway construction located in the salt mines of Zipaquirá, in the department of Cundinamarca, Colombia. Designed by the architect Roswell Garavito Pearl, this magnificent temple is the result of a competition organized in 1990 by the Colombian Society of Architects, in which 44 proposals participated. The technical direction of the work was in charge of engineer Jorge Enrique Castelblanco Reyes. The cathedral houses an exceptional artistic collection, composed mainly of salt and marble sculptures, and stands out for its deep religious symbolism that attracts both believers and tourists from all over the world.

Considered one of Colombia's greatest architectural and artistic feats, the Salt Cathedral has been recognized as a jewel of modernity. In 2007 it was voted the first Wonder of Colombia and, although it did not make the list of the New Seven Wonders of the Modern World, its cultural, religious and environmental relevance keeps it as an icon of the country. This subway temple is part of the Salt Park, a cultural complex dedicated to mining, geology and natural resources, where art is combined with mining and environmental conservation is promoted.

Located 29 kilometers north of Bogotá and at an altitude of 2,680 meters above sea level, Zipaquirá is also famous for its archeological history and for being the site where some of the oldest human remains in Colombia were found in the El Abra Valley. The cathedral, in addition to being a place of worship, is integrated into a unique natural environment of 32 hectares, which includes wooded areas, salt flats and the Brine Museum. The latter provides an educational experience about the history of mining, salt exploitation processes and the engineering that gave life to this extraordinary monument.

Inside the cathedral, visitors walk through the Stations of the Cross, whose stations carved in salt rock narrate the journey of Jesus Christ to Calvary. The tour leads to the dome, a symbolic work that represents the heavens in Christian religiosity, and from there one descends to the main naves, where a 16-meter cross carved in bas-relief stands out, along with marble sculptures, such as The Creation of Man, a tribute to Michelangelo. The structures of the cathedral are crossed by a symbolic crack that represents the birth and death of Christ.

The history of this place goes back to the times of the Muisca culture, which already exploited these mines since the 5th century. The religious tradition in the mines began with the workers decorating the tunnels with images of saints for protection. In 1954, the first cathedral was inaugurated, which had to be closed in 1992 due to structural problems. The current cathedral, inaugurated in 1995, was built 60 meters below the original and was designed with modern architectural and museum techniques.

Although there are other similar experiences, such as the Wieliczka Salt Mines in Poland, the Zipaquirá Salt Cathedral stands out as a unique monument in the world, both for its function as a religious and cultural sanctuary and as a symbol of Colombia's historical and artistic heritage.