Touristization, like gentrification, has led to the gradual departure of the old quarter’s traditional inhabitants in favor of the arrival of people who come to seek the benefits of the area’s particular qualities, such as its pleasant temperature, homogeneous architecture and diverse landscapes in the immediate vicinity, but who don’t necessarily live there full-time and today retain few elements of the cultural significance it once had for the local population.

Villa de Leyva’s recognized tourist vocation generates a massive influx of visitors at certain times of the year, when the infrastructure of the historic center is put to the test, subject to the risks that mass tourism entails, but which nevertheless becomes for many inhabitants of the commune and the region a scenario that offers the opportunity to earn an economic income. It is at this point that the conflict arises between the protection of immovable cultural heritage and the activity that, over the last few decades, has brought recognition to the population.