Numerous art galleries display and sell the works of both Colombian and international contemporary artists. Concerts are held in theater halls such as Teatro Colon, Colsubsidio, Camarin del Carmen, Teatro Jorge Eliecer Gaitan, or in specialized rooms such as in the Luis Angel Arango Library and the Leon de Grieff hall at the Universidad Nacional. Their programs include the presentation of symphony orchestras and chamber groups, both Colombian and from abroad, as well as ballet, opera and shows with internationally renowned artists.

Several theater groups are based in Bogota and present both classical and modern works. The principal groups include the Teatro Popular de Bogota, Teatro Libre, Teatro Nacional, La Castellana, and La Candelaria. In addition every other year during Easter the Ibero American Theater Festival is celebrated in the capital.

Pictures - Above right: One of the many concerts which are performed in the capital every week; Below left: A gold ornament of the Muisca culture exhibited in the Gold Museum; Below Right: the Quinta de Bolivar is not only a historical monument but is also a tourist attraction.

MUSEUMS
Numerous museums house relics from the past. Outstanding is the gold Museum whose collection of more than 36,000 pieces of pre-Columbian gold-working is unique of its kind, Testimony to Indian culture is also to be found at the Archaeological Museum, which houses a valuable collection of ceramics exhibited in one of the most beautiful old colonial manors in the area, originally the home of the Marques de San Jorge.

Another antique house of inestimable worth is the Quinta de Bolivar, of typically Spanish architecture and today a museum with objects and documents that belonged to the Liberator Simon Bolivar. Those interested in Colonial history would also do well to visit the museums of Colonial Art and Religious Art. In the latter the spectacular "La lechuga" monstrance is exhibited, with 1,486 emeralds incrusted with gold. The National Museum, originally built as a prison, offers the visitor objects of anthropological, ethno-historical and artistic interest.

Other museums of interest which emphasize different aspects of national and local history are the 20th of July Museum or Casa del Florero, the Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions, the Museum of the 19th Century, the Museum of Modern Art, the Mint, the Museum of Regional Dress, and the Museum of Urban Development, this last one specializing in the history of Santa Fe de Bogota.