Las Lajas Sanctuary hosts dance festival on 17 October
Published on 10/18/2026 at 01:52 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Las Lajas Sanctuary (Santuario de Las Lajas) in Ipiales hosted a presentation from Danzando en la Tierra del Maíz 2026 on 17 October 2026. The cultural festival brought dance groups from Colombia and abroad to the plaza beside the church in southern Colombia.
The event gave travellers a specific cultural date at the sanctuary, rather than a general recommendation to visit the pilgrimage site. The presentation formed part of a wider programme that continued in Ipiales and nearby towns on 18 October 2026.
Danzando en la Tierra del Maíz reached Las Lajas on 17 October
The Festival Nacional e Internacional de Danzas por Pareja was organised by Compañía Dancística Renacer. The 2026 edition was the festival's twelfth and was supported by Colombia's Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Knowledge and the Government of Nariño, as reported by the festival programme.
Delegations from Valle del Cauca, Antioquia, Putumayo and Santander joined groups from Ecuador, Panama and Costa Rica. Four further delegations came from Nariño, including performers from Pasto and Ipiales. On 17 October 2026, the groups appeared in the plaza of the sanctuary, while the main gala took place that evening at the Champagnat school auditorium in Ipiales.
The programme began in Tulcán, Ecuador, and included an activity at the Gabriel García Márquez school in Ipiales and a presentation in Gualmatán. It ended on 18 October 2026 in Pupiales, where a performance was scheduled at the municipal conservatory.
The dance festival met a church built into the Guáitara gorge
The setting links the festival to one of Colombia's best-known religious landmarks. The sanctuary stands in the canyon of the Guáitara River near Ipiales, with the church, bridge and gorge forming a single built landscape. Its present church is a neo-Gothic structure completed in the twentieth century, as described by a background account of the sanctuary.
The site developed around an image of Our Lady of Las Lajas and has served religious visitors for generations. Pope Pius XII designated the church a minor basilica in 1954. The dance programme therefore placed an international folk event in the public space alongside a working Catholic pilgrimage site.
That combination matters for visitors planning a journey from Western Europe. On 17 October 2026, the main event connected the sanctuary's open plaza with performances representing several Colombian departments and three other countries. The church remained the landmark around which the local programme was identified.
Visiting Las Lajas Sanctuary: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- The sanctuary presentation took place on 17 October 2026 in the plaza of Las Lajas Sanctuary. The wider festival continued in Pupiales on 18 October 2026.
- The reported programme named the plaza as the venue for the groups' presentation. The main gala was at the Champagnat school auditorium in Ipiales, not inside the sanctuary.
- The landmark is in the Guáitara River canyon near Ipiales in Colombia. The church, bridge and gorge are part of the same pilgrimage setting.
- The site is a religious complex in a canyon, so visitors encounter a bridge and uneven natural surroundings rather than a conventional flat urban venue.
- Spanish is the official language of Colombia and the national currency is the Colombian peso.
- Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
Searching for Las Lajas Sanctuary on social platforms
These links open searches for Las Lajas Sanctuary on each platform.
Frequently asked questions about Las Lajas Sanctuary
When did Danzando en la Tierra del Maíz take place at Las Lajas Sanctuary?
The sanctuary presentation took place on 17 October 2026. The wider festival ended on 18 October 2026 in Pupiales.
Where is Las Lajas Sanctuary and how do you get there?
It is in the Guáitara River canyon near Ipiales in Colombia. The festival programme identified the sanctuary plaza as its 17 October 2026 venue.
What is Las Lajas Sanctuary?
It is a Catholic pilgrimage site with a neo-Gothic church, bridge and gorge forming one landmark setting. Pope Pius XII designated the church a minor basilica in 1954.
