Culture

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One of the most important inheritances of Cali is the cultural mix that generates expressions of great meaning.

The ethnocultural town demands spaces and means of expression, having access to facilities with cultural activity programs throughout the year.

The cultural activity of the city is flourishing in centers such as the Instituto Popular de Cultura, the Municipality Theater, the Modern Art Museum la Tertulia, the Sala Beethoven, the Escuela Departamental de Teatro and the University del Valle

. On the other side, Salsa is the most meaningful thing in the city, which is the most prominent cultural representation of this region. Cali is known as the World capital of Salsa. This rhythm arrived through transportation boats that would leave merchandise in Buenaventura. Similarly, swing, mambo, the Cuban sound and cha-cha-cha entered in the country from Central America.

All musical styles were greatly embraced by the vallecaucanos. The salsa discotheques or salsódromos and the professional dance shows are one of the most popular among the tourists, today. Worldwide, this has taken the vallecaucanos to win international prizes and write great part of the history of this musical genre.

• Habits: One of the most important and defined habits in all the municipalities is religion. The devotion to God and the saints are part of one of the oldest and current traditions that Cali citizens have. Among the most popular religious celebrations there is the Señor de los Milagros de Buga.
• Feria de Cali: This festival has been celebrated year after year since its' start in 1957. It is celebrated from the 25th till the 30th of December. All the best artists from different music genres and countries such as The United States, Cuba and the Caribbean, as well as the greatest Colombian orchestras are represented in this festival. The main activities include a horse parade along the main streets of the city at the opening day, beauty contests, orchestra competition, selection of the music CD or musical theme of the festival, but the bullfighting is without a doubt one of the most characteristic events of the festival.

Finally, you will find a great variety of museums, monuments and archeological findings that will help you to understand better and enjoy more the many cultures that have influenced these areas.