History and Culture in Santa Fe de Antioquia

Did you know that Santa Fe de Antioquia is affectionately called by locals as ‘The Mother City’? Likely because Santa Fe was originally the capital of Antioquia. However, in 1826 the Government of Antioquia moved to Medellín, taking with it all the money for investment in infrastructure. Consequently, it left Santa Fe a beautifully preserved pueblo where time has essentially stood still.

Today, locals and the historical commissions ensure that no major changes affect the architecture of this treasured town. This makes Santa Fe a must-see location for photographers.

Santa Fe de Antioquia, the Town Where Time Stands Still

Tours to Santa Fe de Antioquia will give photographers an opportunity to capture how locals have lived in this quaint town for over 100 years. That’s why photographer Bob Carey quickly fell in love with the faces and people of Santa Fe de Antioquia. He was in Santa Fe to photograph el Puente Occidente, and create one of this famous “The Tutu Project” images (more on that later) but it was the people he fell in love with.

Since English is not spoken by almost anyone in town, Mr. Carey hired a bilingual tour guide to walk through town, and offered small tips, even Coca-colas, to locals in exchange for a portrait. Many of the locals followed us around for a while, especially the kids.

He and his wife Linda were amazed at the kindness and willingness of locals to participate in these quick photography sessions. If you are a photographer interested in touring this amazing city, contact us and we’d be happy to put you in touch with one of our local

I’ve been invited to travel worldwide to capture images for The Tutu Project, and we have never felt the same warmth from locals like the people of Colombia. Linda and I loved the entire experience. We hope to come back again. – Bob Carey

About Bob Carey, Photographer & Philanthropist

Bob Carey is a commercial photographer based New York City, and has operated a successful studio for over 20 years. Bob’s commercial clients, both impressive and varied, appreciate Bob’s fine art approach, which fuels his distinctive and often conceptual imagery.

In 2002, as part of a new project exploring stereotypes and transformation, Bob began photographing himself in a pink tutu. When his wife, Linda, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003, the project took on a different meaning. It became a powerful tool for self-therapy; expressing vulnerability, isolation, and humor. Carey’s wife shared them with other patients, bringing laughter and levity into their chemotherapy treatments. This shared laughter became the inspiration for the couple to self-publish a book of the images, Ballerina, and begin raising funds for those living with breast cancer. This body of images, known as The Tutu Project, went viral in 2012 and has since been entertaining people around the world.

Bob’s work is in the permanent collections of Katherine K. Herberger College of the Arts at Arizona State Museum and the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Arts. He has enjoyed solo exhibitions at Gallerie Callu Merite in Paris, Chiaroscuro Gallery in Santa Fe, Trinity Gallery in Atlanta, Udinotti Gallery in Scottsdale, and June Bateman Gallery in New York City.