Settled at the beginning of the 20th Century by the elites of Colombia’s capital, the Teusaquillo neighborhood (part of the larger district of the same name) lies studded with architectural gems in the shadow of downtown’s skyscrapers. Located between Avenida Caracas, Avenida 28, and calles 32 and 36, Teusaquillo offers brick and stone artistry and verdant landscaping among its stately residential structures.Celebrated at the city’s most elegant suburb in the 1920s, Teusaquillo grew from a football pitch at the turn of the century to Bogotá’s Bel-Air, where political luminaries, socialites, and captains of Colombian industry raised mini-mansions along with families. Noted architects Alberto Manrique Martín, Kurt Brunner, Galindo Guerra, and Hans Wiesner constructed homes in the neighborhood in the varied styles of the English Victorian period that suited Bogotá’s chilly climate while contrasting stylistically and thematically with the Iberian and colonial structures of La Candelaria or the Republican modes of the central business district.

Residences in the area reflect designs from several British and American architectural movements during the Victorian era (1837-1901): the Arts and Crafts movement, which stressed individual craftsmanship over pre-fabrication, Gothic Revival, integrating Medieval stone construction with brick masonry design, and shingle-style Queen Anne architecture that features gabled roofs underneath earth-toned shingling.

For an unexpected glimpse of Bogotá’s historical homes in a close-in, easily-accessible, and safe area (hopefully on a sunny Sunday), take TransMilenio to the Profamilia station along Avenida Caracas (at Calle 35) and head westward, away from the mountains, along any of the streets between calles 32 and 36, up until Carrera 22. Here, you’ll be transported not only to another time, but also to a quiet corner of the city that some may find more suitable for tea and crumpets than chicha and tamales.

Photo courtesy of Alejandro Forero Cuervo