Following in the footsteps of Chapman, Cherrie, Fuertes, Howes, O’Connell and Ring, we have found not only birds and natural landscapes, but historical features that have survived the passing of time and the transformations of our current landscapes.
One such feature, is the historical footpath that runs through Fusagasugá, and which we walked through during the second resurvey of the project in October 2020. This footpath, or ‘camino real’ as it is known in Colombia, connected the town of Fusagasugá with Santa Fe and with Honda, two of the main commerce regions of the country. About the footpath, Chapman wrote:
“Nowhere in Colombia have we found so great a faunal change in so short a distance as that which occurs between these two points. Indeed, one has to go only a few hundred feet below El Piñon to pass from the Temperate, completely into the Subtropical Zone. So steep is the trail that one seems to be descending a flight of stairs. Within a dozen steps the rolling ground of the dividing ridge is lost to view, and one is at once protected from the chill winds of the tableland.” Chapman 1917.
Today, this footpath can serve as a means for local communities to share their history, culture, and their birds with visitors from all over the world, while promoting more sustainable livelihoods.