Manizales - Mariquita Cableway

It was one of the most important engineering works carried out in Colombia in response to the difficult topography of the region, that hindered the construction of a railroad.

[1] In the first decade of the twentieth century, an English company called The Ropeway Extension, obtained a concession from the Colombian government to build a ropeway (at the time, the longest one in the world), which cover a distance of approximately 72 kilometers between Mariquita, in Tolima and Manizales in Caldas.

Exploration work began around 1912 and construction started in 1914, under guidance from James F. Lindsay, a New Zealand-born civil engineer.

Tower number 20 (Torre de Herveo), pictured above, was exceptional as it needed to be constructed in a depression between two hills.

After nearly 45 years of operation, the competition of regular road transport became too high, and the cableway ceased working on October 20, 1967.