A small memorial in the city centre to the earthquake that defined modern Armenia. The event left visible scars across the urban fabric — most of the older brickwork in the centre is gone, replaced by reinforced concrete construction in deliberately seismic-conscious style.
Some travellers find the post-quake city characterless compared to colonial centres elsewhere in Colombia. Others find it quietly impressive: a working capital that put itself back together in twenty years. Either way, it is useful context for understanding why Armenia looks the way it does, and why the surrounding villages — Salento, Filandia, Pijao — feel so much more "old Colombia" than the city itself.