To spot the Ortiz Bridge, look for a bright white structure with three wide arches stretching over the river, decorated by an ornate iron fence, right in front of you-if you glance just above the bridge, you’ll see the dramatic spire of La Ermita church in the background.
Now, let’s step back in time together-close your eyes for a second and imagine the scent of the river in the air and the distant chatter of people and carriages echoing around you. It’s the mid-1700s, and Cali is growing fast. The townsfolk are desperate-they need a way to cross the wild, unpredictable Rio Cali. The first attempt was a bridge made of guadua, a local bamboo. However, as you might guess, Mother Nature had her own plans. The river showed no mercy, and soon the bridge was in ruins!
Decades passed, and the locals were tired of tiptoeing through muddy crossings. Along came Santiago Reyes, the mayor with a big vision, and a dream of a grand bridge connecting the bustling center to the quieter north. An engineer named José Montehermoso started the job in 1835, hammer in hand, dreams in his head-except, the governor thought it was all a waste of money. Can you imagine Montehermoso sweating under the sun, hoping no one would come tell him to stop?
But fate is full of plot twists! In 1842, Fray Ortiz, a Franciscan friar and amateur engineer from Candelaria, took over the project. For three years he worked with endless determination-even if he wasn’t the only mastermind behind it, the bridge now proudly bears his name. By October 1845, with dust, laughter, and probably a bit of prayer, Ortiz Bridge was finally born. Picture it-the first solid connection across the water!
Over time, the bridge has been remodeled, expanded, and even transformed for cars and those fancy “berlinas”-imagine those shiny old cars rumbling over the river for the first time. In 2011, during roadworks, workers stumbled upon ancient hidden pieces of the original bridge, along with mysterious objects-old dishes, animal bones, and even fragments from times long gone.
So, as you stand here, take a moment to see not just a bridge, but nearly three centuries of Cali’s hopes, mishaps, and surprises-proof that sometimes, teamwork (and maybe a little divine help) builds wonders that last!
