Usaquen Colonial Plaza and Sunday Flea Market

Usaquen Colonial Plaza and its Sunday flea market lie in the Usaquen district of northern Bogota, Colombia, around Carrera 6 and Calle 119. Once a separate colonial village, it has been absorbed by the growing city but keeps a whitewashed church, a cobbled plaza and low tiled roofs. The frame offers the church facade and bell tower at the head of the plaza, surrounded by low colonial buildings and the trees of the square, with the Cerros Orientales rising behind to the east. Every Sunday the surrounding streets fill with a craft and antique market, where awnings, jewellery stalls, leatherwork, buskers and brunch terraces give dense, colourful compositions within a few blocks. The best time for the market is Sunday between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., when the stalls are in full flow and the light is high but often softened by cloud. Midday sun can be harsh on the white church walls, so a polariser and careful exposure help. Weekday mornings are much quieter and suit clean architectural frames of the church and plaza without crowds. The plaza is photogenic year round, and December brings Christmas lighting to the square, which makes evening frames attractive. Rain is common in the afternoons in wetter months, so a compact rain cover is useful. The plaza and market are crowded on Sundays, which makes tripods impractical, and handheld shooting with a short lens is easier. On weekdays a small tripod for dusk frames is workable if it does not block the pavement. Drone flights are not advisable over the plaza and neighbouring residential streets. There is no entry fee for the plaza or the market, though stall purchases are usually made in cash. Restaurants and cafes around the plaza provide restrooms and water for customers. Vendors are generally comfortable with cameras, but portraits are best taken after a short exchange or a small purchase.